Comments on: It Sucks To Be Gretna

By: Ian

Ian — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 02:10:18 +0000

It’s not so much that they had financial problems, as they had very little support outside of Brooks Mileson. Their fanbase was small, and they had to spend a lot of money just to rent Fir Park from Motherwell to bend the SPL rules to get in at all, since their stadium wasn’t big enough. Even though my own favorite club, Inverness, did a similar groundshare in their first season in the top flight, they represented a much bigger group of fans and a much bigger town than Gretna, and they had some income other than an owner that spent and spent. In my opinion, the groundshare rule is partially at fault. If a team can’t afford an SPL-level park, they aren’t ready to be in the SPL.

By: Inara

Inara — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 01:30:58 +0000

Ian, maybe you can clarify this. Was Gretna always in financial trouble, like did they have signs of it even before Mileson withdrew his support? I know they’ve been pretty bad all season, though I don’t remember any news of financial difficulties until this winter.

By: Ian Rose

Ian Rose — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 18:19:10 +0000

Gretna is quickly becoming the classic textbook case of a side that wasn’t ready to go up to the top flight. They were promoted three times in three seasons, and they just weren’t prepared for either the competitive or financial setting in the SPL. The SPL once had much stricter guidelines about what a team needed to be in the top flight, including a stadium of their own with a decent capacity and something resembling a stable set of finances. It’ll really be too bad if they dissolve completely, because they do have some great fans … not a huge number, mind you, but passionate. Still, their case should be taught in business classes as a case of what not to do with a football club.