Avoiding the Drop

Rather than rehash the whole scenario, go and read the second half of this first.

Okay, now that you’re up to speed, here’s what has happened since I wrote that piece:

Livingston did indeed go into administration after the West Lothian Council (owners of Livingston’s Meadowbank Stadium) went to court to recover debts owed by the club and its previous ownership group led by Angelo Massone.  The club was then put in the hands of an interim manager, Donald McGruther.

It also seems fairly clear that Gordon McDougall and Neil Rankine let “somebody” know that if Massone was out of the picture, they would step in to save the club.  Massone was initially offered £25,000 to go away- he refused.  The offer was doubled to £50,000 which was apparently enough to sooth Massone’s pride, and he sold his stake in the club to McDougall and Rankine.  The Scottish Football League then asked McDougall and Rankine to put up a £720,000 bond in order to guarantee that Livingston would fulfill it’s First Division fixtures (the “First Division” part is the key here).  The new owners apparently found this to be an excessive amount, while the other First Division clubs expressed the opinion that the bond should have been even larger.

However, before the ink was dry on this agreement, the Scottish Football League Management Committee announced that Livingston Football Club were “in breach of Rule 76.2, relating to insolvency.”  In other words, “your team went bankrupt and we need to punish you.”  Many had expected the punishment to take the form of a 10 point deduction that would have more or less guaranteed that Livingston would be relegated to the Second Division at the end of the season- if it survived the season.  Instead, the club was relegated directly and immediately to the Scottish Third Division.  The idea- of the Management Committee- apparently being that this gives the club a chance to survive in the SFL instead of just shutting it down completely.  Livingston have the right to appeal the decision, but even if a reprieve were to be granted, it might be too late because McDougall and Rankine were already balking at the idea of paying £720,000 to guarantee fixtures in the First Division, never mind the Third Division.  It would also mean delaying the start of the SFL season, and that fact alone might be enough reason for the SFL to deny the appeal.  McDougall and Rankine are going to talk this development over with Ged Nixon, who represents Livingston’s fans, before deciding on the next step they are going to take, or not take.  Interim manager McGruther believes that it’s already all over bar the shouting and that Livingston are moments away from becoming this year’s Gretna.*

Here’s what all of this legal and financial wrangling boils down to:  Airdrie United have been promoted to the First Division to replace Livingston and Cowdenbeath have been promoted to the Second Division to take Airdrie United’s place.  Should McDougall and Rankine walk away from the club (or something else happen to cause it to causes its final demise), the Third Division will play the 2009-2010 season with only nine teams and the process to replace Livingston’s spot in the SFL for the 2010-2011 will most likely begin with the clubs that lost out when Annan Athletic were chosen to replace Grenta in 2008- Cove Rangers, Spartans, Preston Athletic and Edinburgh City.

And finally, Livingston’s demotion/demise means that Ross County will face Airdrie United, not Livingston, at Victoria Park in Dingwall this Saturday at 3:00pm to kick off the SFL First Division Season.

*My in-country sources tell me that reports are suggesting that Livingston will not to appeal their relegation and will instead resign from the Scottish Football League completely.