Dundee chief executive doesn’t expect SPL U-turn over Rangers newco

Dundee chief executive Scott Gardiner has called for finality on who will play in the SPL.SNS Group

Dundee chief executive Scot Gardiner believes there must be clarity on who will fill the space of ‘Club 12’ in the SPL on Monday.

The Tayside club and Dunfermline are still unsure which league they will be playing in this term with speculation continuing over the possible creation of an SPL2.

Top flight clubs are said to be set to discuss the issue on Monday when the SPL holds its AGM at Hampden.

"I've not spoken to Neil or any of the board of the SPL," Gardiner told BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound programme.

"I haven't had any emails or letters.

"I think it damages all of the game. Someone has to show some real leadership here and get a grip of things.

"We've been planning to win the First Division for a couple of months now and we have been adding to the squad with the view to winning the First Division and selling our season tickets.

"We have had to stop a lot of things behind the scenes because we could put the club in real danger if we make the wrong decisions.

"We're in limbo and I'm just asking for someone to step up and say 'okay, all the votes have been held, here is the situation and Dundee Football Club will be playing either in the SPL or the First Division'."

A Rangers newco were admitted to enter the Scottish Football League in Division Three on Friday, a scenario SPL chief executive Neil Doncaster projected would cost the game £16m.

Despite those predictions Gardiner doesn’t expect a revote over allowing Charles Green’s new company to play in the top flight.

"It seems to me something quite remarkable and quite extraordinary would have to happen in order to get that in place," he said.

"But I suppose extraordinary things have been happening.

"As far as I'm concerned, Rangers have been admitted into SFL3 and we're just waiting on how the cards fall from that."

Hearts' managing director David Southern appeared to echo those sentiments when asked about the possibility of SPL2.

He told the BBC: "Anything's possible for discussion but certainly nothing has been mentioned to us as a club that that is on the agenda for discussion.

"We think it would be a very, very short discussion indeed. We certainly do not plan to go over any old ground.

"The most important thing for Scottish football now is that we move on.

"We are focused on the new season. Rangers, as has been elected, will play in Division Three.

"That's how it stands at the moment and that's how we fully expect it to stand at five o'clock on Monday evening.

"It has certainly not been mentioned to us as a club and it's not particularly something we would be looking to entertain."

If Dundee were to be elevated to the SPL they would meet neighbours Dundee United in a repeat of this Saturday’s sell-out pre-season friendly.

Ahead of the match Gardiner said: "We have 11,000 people here today and the place is buzzing and no one is even talking about it.

"We had to close our ticket office, because the police forced us to, at 12 o'clock and no one is talking about the game.

"This proves the game can recover, we are not dead in the water. But we have a lot of hard work to get the credibility of the game back."

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