Will Rangers win the Championship?

As above, will Rangers win the Championship? Obviously there are rumours they are struggling again with administration but I can't see them not winning this league. I think Hibs will do well but not well enough, should they keep Butcher and Hearts will struggle with a Neilson/Levein power struggle.

With Butcher being sacked this afternoon, things have gotten a bit more interesting for Hibs. Whoever the manager was going to be was going to have to completely rebuild a squad anyway but a new manager trying to blend a new squad might be a bit more challenging than someone who knows the club.

Looking through their staff list, Butcher's people aside i.e. Malpas and Marsella who you would imagine would leave with him, they don't really have anyone who jumps out as being an obvious candidate to promote from within, Guillaume Beuzelin is there but he's currently coaching the under-14s.

I'd still expect them to make the play-offs though.

I agree that the Hearts system is probably not going to work. All they've really done is switch someone who had 4 years coaching experience, almost all with Hearts and with 1 of those as manager, for someone who has 2 years coaching experience with most of it at Falkirk and East Fife. Their squad list makes for pretty grim reading at the moment and they're going to have decide how much of a go at promotion, be it automatic or via the play-offs, they actually want to make of it this season. They'll have to spend more this season to make a push at going up than they will next but it means 2 years of reduced revenues. Those in the know will know better than me what the cost difference would be.

The squad they have just now would struggle to make the play-offs but you'd expect them to strengthen, the problem is just how much can/will they strengthen.

Working on that logic, I'd expect The Rangers to go up. I don't think it'll be as comfortable as the last 2 seasons but I don't expect it to go to the last day.

Taking a bit of a stab I'd say The Rangers by 12 points.

Can't see past The Rangers unless they go into admin. Miller is on 5K a week, what Championship team can compete with those wages?
If they get Boyd as well then their front line would be frightening.

Depends if they go into admin or not. I think it's a 25 point deduction if they do, would they manage to win 25+ points more than the other teams?

If they don't go into admin then they should win it but I wouldn't be too surprised if Hearts did.

If Rangers do it I think it will be close, although I don't think they will.

More than likely they think they will win it and this could lead to their problem, if the fans were getting on their backs when they were winning games what's going to happen when they start losing games in the Championship, which will happen.

Of course if they continue to pay silly money and get a hold of Boyd and some other Premiership players they have been mentioning then they could very well do it. Even with a 25 point deduction they would not win the league but may get a play off spot and get through that way.

There're a myriad of reasons why Rangers might not, they're all money related, and too in depth to go into here. If admin hits, are they treated as a new club? How many points will they lose? Indeed would it just be admin? Who knows.

On the pitch they'll get a few frights this season, because their gaffer has the tactical nous of a washing line, but they should win the league with plenty to spare.

Hearts seem to have wasted little time with James Keatings and Morgaro Gomis both announced as having signed since they came out of administration yesterday. Keatings doesn't seem to have the best record in the Championship, 11 in 30 last season, but Gomis looks to have played fairly regularly for Dundee United last season, 21 appearances between October and May last season.

Kenny Miller signed for Rangers a couple of weeks ago and Darren McGregor was announced yesterday. Miller could tear the league apart next season and the consensus seems to be that McGregor is a pretty good signing for Rangers.

Still no news from Hibs that I've seen.

Keatings seems a bit low key for Hearts, quite surprised to see him linked then signed. Did really well at the start of last season but I think the Hamilton fans mentioned he'd been pushed further back and then not played as much.

Hamilton seemed to be quite keen to keep him as well, I think they offered him about 3 new deals before he decided to leave. I wouldn't be surprised to see Skacel sign for them again in about November when Hearts are struggling.

I'm not sure,they should but it'll be tougher than fans think and if they slack off like they did in the last 2 seasons then they might not. I expect Hearts to push them close for the title. Didn't know Miller was on £5k a week. No championship club can compete with that! Once again they're buying league titles,do they never learn?! With a bit of luck the same will happen again but this time they'll be gone for good.

Miller barely breaks the top 10 highest paid players at Rangers according to some.

CruijffTurn wrote:Miller barely breaks the top 10 highest paid players at Rangers according to some.

Really?! That's obscene. They deserve all that comes to them in ways of a possible 2nd administration.

Will it no be their first admin, the team formerly known as Rangers went into liquidation and no longer exists.

Unfortunately I think their golden oldies strike partnership will pile them in at this level

I'm stunned the poll is so close.

Ken, the only way they wont win is a points deduction for admin. They'll prob throw money at it in Jan taking their closest rivals best players off them to weaken them.

McCoist is their weak link but even he should be able to win this division, it will be in the Premiership he'll really be found out.

Boyd will score for fun in this league, can see him breaking the 30 goals mark this season.

Liviforever wrote:Can't see past The Rangers unless they go into admin. Miller is on 5K a week, what Championship team can compete with those wages?
If they get Boyd as well then their front line would be frightening.

Got that wrong then.

Liviforever wrote:Ken, the only way they wont win is a points deduction for admin. They'll prob throw money at it in Jan taking their closest rivals best players off them to weaken them.

McCoist is their weak link but even he should be able to win this division, it will be in the Premiership he'll really be found out.

Boyd will score for fun in this league, can see him breaking the 30 goals mark this season.

And again.

Just call me mystic LF..................anyone want to know this weeks Euro Lottery numbers?

You're not alone LF; I thought they would pile the goals in at this level too.

They'll walk it. Hibs are an embarrassment and nobody else will be anywhere near them.

Yeah they should, but their uncanny knack for overspending on duds, or turning players into duds who are content to pick up a big fat salary (not the one on gardening leave) for going through the motions is throwing doubt over whether they will. That and their knack for being gazillions in debt needing 10M every couple of month to survive, and uncle Mike is asking for his money back.

King is also a dodgy fecker and has yet to back up his promises on investment.

They seem to have a decent manager in now, though I said the same about McCall and that ended well.

Hibs would win it if they didn't bottle everything, and St Mirren will probably be about 4th.

If they go into admin and get deducted points then Hibs will win it, otherwise The Rangers should be finishing 1st.

They are surely bound to this time. It would be absolutely hilarious if not though, I'd happily take another season of the 'Blue Pound'.

Big achievement if they can win the Petrofac cup, that's 3 years they've been in the lower league and not won it. They didn't even do a Hearts and put out their reserves to concentrate on the league either, that was them trying their best against Alloa.

This should double up as will Deadco be in admin this season or next, they're the gift that keeps on giving.

Nice sting by Ashley.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/rangers-chairman-dave-king-faces-6762594

Ideally Hibs will win the Championship this season and Deadco fail to go up through the play offs again, they then go into admin, get 25 points deducted and stay down for yet another season.

Do they not need £2.5 million to survive 'til the end of the season? Wouldn't want them to go out of business because a lot of people's jobs rely on Rangers, and the top end of the SPL is incredibly dull these days. I think it'd be funny if they got chucked into League 2 or something again though.