Help Sitemap Home Skip Navigation Contact Us Disability Statement


Gretna latest: Club relegated to Third Division, Airdrie and Stranraer promoted

Premium Article !

Your account has been frozen. For your available options click the below button.

Options

Premium Article !

To read this article in full you must have registered and have a Premium Content Subscription with the The Scotsman site.

Subscribe

Registered Article !

To read this article in full you must be registered with the site.

Sign In
Register
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image
Click on thumbnail to view image

Published Date: 29 May 2008
GRETNA have been relegated to the Third Division after a vote at the annual general meeting of the Scottish Football League.
The troubled club, which went into administration in March this year after owner Brooks Mileson stopped funding the operation, had already dropped down from the Scottish Premier league to the First Division. But at today's vote it was decided that the club should drop a further two divisions to the basement league.

The administrators, Wilson Field, have been given until next week to find a way of keeping the club in business. If no buyer can be found, the club will lose membership of the SFL and an election will take place to find a replacement club.

Gretna were elected to the Scottish Football League in 2002 and made rapid progress through the divisions, reaching the Scottish Cup final in 2006 and then winning promotion to the SPL in 2007. But just as the club reached the top flight of Scottish football, the cost of getting there caught up with owner Mileson.

All of the club's staff were made redundant earlier this month.

Airdrie United will now be promoted to the First Division from the Second Division, and Stranraer go up from the Third Division to the Second Division to make way for Gretna.

The full article contains 226 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

 
1

GrahamL,

29/05/2008 17:23:12
Now, I don't mean to be unnecessarily negative here. But is anyone going to spend a significant amount of money to take over a 3rd division club? With no staff?
If they were in the 1st division I could maybe have seen it, but I'd be very surprised if the "Gretna as 3rd division club" proposal is going to tempt anyone...
2

SouthSideHibs,

29/05/2008 17:30:30
#1 which gives Spartans the chance to join the SFL, I'd guess.

What price Hearts re-emerging via Spartans once the whole thing finally falls apart.

3

GrahamL,

29/05/2008 17:46:04
#2 A million to one?
2 reasons:
1. Spartans are a well established team, and I reckon could support a 3rd div application themselves, and to suggest otherwise is to do a great diservice to all involved at the club
2. No matter how many times you say, Hearts aren't going to the wall. Sorry.

So, well done, you've shown complete ignorance of 2 Edinburgh teams in one statement. You should get a medal or something.
4

Rosscobhoy,

Glasgow 29/05/2008 17:55:39
Serves them right. Sorry for the guys who have lost a lot of money on Brooksons promises but even the blind seen this coming. Hope it serves as a warning. Also hope Airdrie get relegated and die at some point soon too. I suppose its a bit ironic that the last team to go to the wall have benefitted from another unsustainable team probably doing the same.
5

Jock Tamson,

Scotland, Caledonia, Alba 29/05/2008 18:07:05
Ah well, so there it is.

Wonder if the epilog on The Rise & Fall Of The Gretna Empire has been written yet?
6

,

29/05/2008 18:14:58
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
7

jouster,

perth 29/05/2008 18:33:08
The situation was a farce from the start. Throw them out and give their place to someone else.
8

SouthSideHibs,

29/05/2008 18:42:49
#3 - Nonsense Graham, Gretna have proved what happens when an owner loses interest. Hearts won't die, I never said they would, but you might need to re-emerge from the ashes of Mad Vlad's demise/exit.

The last thing the Capital needs is another fitba team. You're showing your ignorance I think over-looking the case of Meadowbank Thistle.
9

,

29/05/2008 19:47:55
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
10

,

29/05/2008 19:49:53
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
11

ses,

Pencaitland 29/05/2008 19:51:44
Airdrie benefit out of another team's misfortune again - they wiped out Clydebank so they could get their League place, now they are promoted because of Gretna's troubles.
12

,

29/05/2008 19:52:22
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
13

ses,

Pencaitland 29/05/2008 19:57:53
Re #3

Can you really say for certain that Hearts aren't going to the wall? How big does their debt have to get?

I'm not getting at Hearts, back in 1990 if Wallace Mercer had gotten his wish and wiped out Hibs, Meadowbank Thistle would have became Meadowbank Hibs within a year, and Hibernian within two.

If a team is big enough, no one can get rid of it completely. So Spartans getting into the SFL could be a good back up plan for Hearts fans if the worst came to the worst.
14

,

29/05/2008 20:26:12
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
15

,

29/05/2008 20:43:46
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
16

Way Out West,

29/05/2008 22:28:42
All I can say is thank God that Gretna don't sell ladies' knickers in the club shop.

Like the club itself, they'd be hopeless at staying up.

Aythankyow!

17

Alba Abú,

Dunedin 29/05/2008 22:50:07
More anti- Catholic bigotry moving in the direction of the SPL via Airdrie. Away with all the bigots! Lets just love our game of football.
18

,

29/05/2008 23:17:46
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
19

,

29/05/2008 23:31:07
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
20

,

29/05/2008 23:48:59
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
21

Der Kaiser,

29/05/2008 23:57:54
#51
Flicking through the stories on the website and all your posts seem exactly the same.
"Hearts are a diddy team....Hearts this, Hearts that"
If you like I'll buy you the Hearts top you quite clearly want. Admit it...you love us!
22

,

30/05/2008 00:07:08
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
23

Der Kaiser,

30/05/2008 00:10:54
Aye ya dae.
Seriously. Do you want the Home or Away one?
24

,

30/05/2008 00:12:14
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
25

Der Kaiser,

30/05/2008 00:19:05
#56
Was a bad day to be a Jambo. I'm sure you were very upset like myself. Of course we put four past the "mighty" Rangers in the game before that at Tynie. You will have enjoyed that.
26

,

30/05/2008 00:23:43
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
27

Der Kaiser,

30/05/2008 00:31:22
#59
Wait, wait, wait wait, wait.
" I wouldnt start casting back to past results "
I damn well so. Remember, I support a diddy team (your words) so we can (and should) revel in the rare victories over the "mighty" Rangers.
I thought your favourite game would have been the 1998 Scottish Cup Final. Oh wait, not meant to cast back to past results. Sorry.
28

,

30/05/2008 00:35:21
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
29

Der Kaiser,

30/05/2008 00:41:35
#61 There's no need of you to apologise. It was me that was to avoid casting back to past results remember.

Get your list off Wikipedia statto?

Well (incoming childish comment), we won it in 1891, won it before you did so that makes us the best.....nahnahnahnahnah.
30

,

30/05/2008 00:51:28
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
31

Der Kaiser,

30/05/2008 01:05:47
#64
Right...my last post was clearly tongue in cheek. It was there, quite clearly in brackets. You know, the "(incoming childish comment)" bit?

This has obviously passed you by and I'm guessing that this sort of post could go back and forward all night. I tire of your badinage (you could look that up on Wikipedia) so I'll leave you with another childish comment simply to rile you.

My team is named after a work of art. Therefore we are "simply the best".

I'll leave that with you to work out.

Night.
32

,

30/05/2008 01:11:17
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:

 

Comment on this Story

 

In order to post comments you must Register or Sign In

 
 
RSS Feed of this article's comments
Delivery formats: RSS, Atom, Javascript & Email
 
  

 
 


Sister Newspapers:
Press Complaints Commission

This website and its associated newspaper adheres to the Press Complaints Commission’s Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then contact the Editor by clicking here.

If you remain dissatisfied with the response provided then you can contact the PCC by clicking here.