With the fantastic response to the previous article on Rangers fans attitudes to rejoining the SPL, it might be worthwhile to re-publish a recent interview with Graeme Barr, the vice-Chairman of the Rangers Supporters Trust.

Firstly some background: the questions discuss league reconstruction and/or the Rangers fans position on going back to the SPL if the football body decided that titles were to stripped because of alleged double-contracts, side letters or something related to Rangers poorly administering a legal tax scheme (EBT's).

It also references an article published in the Daily Mail which revealed that SFA, SPL and the SFL have supposedly discussed a ‘working group' looking at a potential 16 team SPL, with only two divisions below, starting in season 2012-13. The obvious - but unspoken - goal seems to be to cut Rangers' journey to the top flight by a year.

Stewart Regan, the SFA Chief Executive revealed that, "We have a meeting on Thursday and the plan is to put a working party in place to come up with reconstruction proposals that can be implemented ideally from next season. The [previous] joint proposal put forward was not something the SFL wanted to take forward but reconstruction remains part of the agenda for Scottish football. The SPL and the SFL will take new proposals back to their respective members and it will require a 75 per cent vote from the SFL and an 11-1 vote by the SPL to vote change through."

This would be unpopular with many Scottish football fans and their perceived injustice would be heard, but what about the Rangers fans?

Surely a fanbase that can have more people at Ibrox on any given day, than the whole of the SPL put together, needs to be heard? So I asked the RST for comment:

Do you think Rangers fans would accept a jump in divisions if there was no further sanctions from the SPL or SFA on the club?

Graeme Barr: Possibly, but the support appears resolute in their stance that we will earn our way back up the leagues without favour, and more importantly, will fight side by side against more [...] sanctions imposed on Rangers. This appears, if mooted behind closed doors, to be [...] ‘accept the jump up and subsidise the SPL and its clubs or we will strip of you titles'.

Any QC worth their salt should run over the top of the SPL's desire to strip the club of titles or impose any other sanctions dreamt up.

If the SPL investigation into EBT's and alleged double-contracts was to result in Rangers being stripped of league titles, would the Rangers fans:

(i) support an invitation to an SPL2?

Graeme Barr: Absolutely not. In January last year The RST accompanied by our sister organisations attended a meeting with Neil Doncaster where he claimed a 16-team league would not be beneficial to the game. During the meeting, Neil Doncaster claimed the 16 league format would see revenue of up to £20m filter out of the game. So are the league's governing bodies now saying Rangers are worth more than £20m to the game and desperately need us back? You can find the minutes of the meeting with Neil Doncaster here:

Any league reconstruction proposed will be designed to obtain and recoup as much revenue that Rangers bring in as possible. It has nothing to do with improving the product, the players or attendances despite the spin put forward. Can anyone honestly state that these proposals will make players pass the ball better, shoot more accurately or improve attendances? Of course not, it's all about improving the SPL's balance sheet.

(ii) support an invitation to a second tier league that was not an SPL2 but still an SFL league?

Graeme Barr: I haven't really given this much thought. Frankly, the feeling I get from the support in general, is that they want to earn their way up the leagues on merit alone.

(iii) support EVER joining the SPL in its current format?

Graeme Barr: Not at the moment no. The league is in tatters, it has no appeal or anything to offer Rangers. The worldwide media reported on the phenomena that is the Rangers support this weekend. Only the Scottish based media reported on the SPL. Strangely they never took much notice of Rangers' games even if the world media did.

Do you think the SFA's Stewart Regan and the SPL's Neil Doncaster are the men to take league reconstruction forward?

Graeme Barr: [They are] not the men to lead our game or make wholesale changes. If both organisations (SFA and SPL) were publically listed companies they would have been dismissed by now. Look at the help and guidance Portsmouth are receiving from their respective governing bodies, and look at how both men have conducted themselves towards us. Night and day springs to mind.

Do you think Rangers should be on the League reconstruction ‘working group' since this is all about getting Rangers back in the top flight?

Graeme Barr: Yes. It's imperative we have a voice on any steering committee or working group.

If Rangers are not on the ‘working group' what would that say?

Graeme Barr: It would send out a clear message that Rangers will not be part of any decision making even though the SPL are desperate for the revenue that Rangers generates. It will certainly fuel the fire and vindicate the club and fans concerns on how Stewart Regan and Neil Doncaster operate.

What should Charles Green's strategy be in all of this?

Graeme Barr: Firstly Mr Green needs to be on, and a part of, any committee where Rangers are involved. From there he can fight for the club and protect its revenue. Charles Green has an opportunity to build something special back up again, and it's possible that this can be done from the SFL 3 onwards. SFL clubs will look across the table and see the SPL fighting for scraps, [but] by siding with Rangers in maintaining the integrity and structure of the SFL, all clubs can flourish financially. The SFL hold all the aces! They showed that recently by refusing to be bullied into voting Rangers into the first division.

If Charles Green accepts entry to the SPL after any title-stripping, how would the majority of fans react?

Graeme Barr: Many will point to the business decision Charles Green will make in this instance, however, I have faith in Charles Green keeping to his word and fighting tooth & nail to hold onto our titles. We don't need the SPL, the support know this and so does Charles Green. The only way I see this coming about is the SFL clubs buckling under pressure and voting us into the SPL.

Thanks very much to Graeme Barr for this interview. More information on the Rangers Supporters Trust can be found here.

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