‘Finally’ – David Edgar reacts as club chief slams ‘Embarrassing’

Other clubs are “finally” starting to realise how badly the SPFL is run after Stenhousemuir’s chairman hit out at the league of their “embarrassing” Rangers climbdown, according to David Edgar.

The man behind Four Lads Had A Dream reacted via Twitter on 9 February after the Scottish League Two club issued a statement in support of the Light Blues and five other Premiership clubs who cited “serious concerns” regarding the league executive and their handling of the Independent Governance Report [Chris Jack, 8 February].

Rangers, Motherwell, Livingston, Aberdeen, St Johnstone and St Mirren had issued the letter of concern, directing the spotlight onto CEO Neil Doncaster and chairman Murdoch MacLennan, with Edgar commenting after Stenhousemuir added their own voice.

The club had quoted chairman Iain McMenemy’s statement on their official Twitter account: “After being assured for almost two years that the SPFL were in the right in continuing this dispute with Rangers, we were surprised to receive, without warning, a copy of a news release that seemed to be an embarrassing climbdown.

“The SPFL had to apologise to Rangers, pay compensation and legal costs, and admit that they got this wrong.”

In response Four Lads wrote: “Other teams finally finding out just how poorly the SPFL is run.”

Rangers were joined by the likes of Aberdeen and Motherwell in criticism

At times the Light Blues appear to ostracised from the rest of the Scottish football pyramid and disputes with the authorities give the feeling of being left on the outside looking in.

But it looks like the situation is starting to reverse if a significant number of clubs have now joined in, so MacLennan and Doncaster will necessarily be under pressure as a result.

Boldly claiming one thing over the cinch sponsorship debacle only to be proven wrong and have to issue an apology can’t be painted as anything other than an embarrassment and a defeat.

It is little surprise that other clubs may have lost confidence in the executive as a result, and if their apparent attempt to investigation that failing is also leaving members unsatisfied it is an all round bad look for the league office.

And the current situation may come as an additional vindication to Rangers after that climbdown, having stood their ground and come out on top.

And given the club has hardly been infallible when it comes to legal fights over seemingly unnecessary issues in recent years the SPFL appears to have seriously dropped the ball to come across this poorly here.

In other Rangers news, Lawrence Shankland can’t now be forced to stay at Hearts after rejecting all contract offers.