THE SPL SITUATION
From the beginning of this process where all the signs started to point to an unravelling of the Rangers situation we were confident, having interpreted the rules, that Dunfermline couldn't be reinstated once they had been relegated. I was personally confident on this matter and explained to the board that once we had taken legal advice on what the rules were, our position was very strong.
We were also aware that it was an extremely delicate situation for the game in that it was effectively the financial breakdown of a fellow member of the SFA, we have had two very difficult and damaging financial breakdowns in recent history ourselves so we were loathe to comment on how anyone could get themselves into that situation.
Accordingly we decided that the best thing to do was to behave in a professional manner with respect for the governing bodies, respect for the team who were having the major financial problems and respect for anyone who wanted to voice their opinions. So we didn't comment on what anyone said, whether they were arguing for a certain position or against it.
We certainly steered clear of the SPL situation because we weren't in the SPL we were in the SFL. So while the SPL chairmen were going through the maelstrom of the issues which were being thrown up we felt that it was not our place to comment on that, that we should keep doing what we were doing, which was planning to win the First Division and working away on signing the players who we felt were crucial to our future in that they would help us get out of the First Division, that was our focus and we tried really hard not to get dragged into anything.
As things unfolded and it became clear that there would be a vote on whether the SFL would allow Rangers to become a member of the League, we were told by the SFL that we were conflicted, there were three different votes due to take place in order to resolve matters and to see Rangers into the SFL. One was to vote them into the league, one to vote them into the first division and one to vote them into the third division and by any standards on all three of those votes we were technically conflicted. Airdrie and Stranraer were only conflicted on two of them but we were given advice by the governing body at Hampden on July 3rd that we were conflicted on all three.
I also felt that if we now took part we could be held up as some sort of pariah, who voted our own way into the SPL. I didn't want to put the club's reputation at stake but it was taken out of our hands as the governing body told us we couldn't vote and that was the case until nine minutes to five on the night before the next vote on the 13th July. That's when the "no conflict" email was sent to us by the SFL, although I didn't pick it up till later that evening.
That caused some consternation as we hadn't been able to meet as a board to discuss the resolutions as we weren't going to be allowed to vote on them, therefore there had been no reason to have a board meeting to discuss something we weren't voting on.
However, after long correspondences late into the night and talks with our lawyers and the SFL's lawyers next morning the conclusion was that we would have to take part on Friday - despite not having time to speak to all of the board. That was potentially a legal issue for us because as directors you have fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the company, the football club being the company, you have to get a majority of the directors and it caused us an issue. Without going into the whole debate and all of the minutiae of the meeting itself at the moment, we voted that yes, Rangers should be admitted into Division 3.
Going forward to Monday, just after noon, I received a call from Ian Blair telling me that we had been nominated to be the invitee into the SPL and he asked if we would accept that invitation - I verbally accepted immediately. We now have a formal meeting with the SPL on Thursday and there are a number of things that need to take place before we can be fully ratified as the twelfth shareholder of the SPL.
What I said at the very beginning of this process, and I've said a couple of times in the press and even on twitter, is that we will make a full statement explaining to the fans how this whole process has gone once everything is concluded and we are officially the twelfth shareholder and a full member of the SPL, but I can assure everyone that we have behaved entirely appropriately and in a manner that is befitting this great club. At the Friday 13th SFL meeting at Hampden, David Longmuir made a point of order saying that Dundee Football Club had behaved impeccably at all times in this process.
Throughout the process we've said that at the end of it we'd come out and say here's what we did, but there is nothing at all for anyone to be concerned about, we voted appropriately and I am proud of how our board and manager behaved throughout and similarly how the chairman of the DFCSS behaved because all of us were under a colossal amount of pressure from all sides of the media and other fronts. There were all sorts of dynamics going on but we were anchored to the traditions of this football club and that kept us steady.
Now we can move forward together into the adventure that awaits us in the SPL and you can rest assure that we will do our best not to let you down