“You’ve only got two years of history.”
Dundee United have pushed relations with Rangers to breaking point. They have declared: “You’ve only got two years of history.”
Tannadice chairman Stephen Thompson delivered the incendiary put-down to Light Blues Chief Executive Graham Wallace in negotiations over youngster Charlie Telfer.
Rangers wanted £175,000 to £200,000 in compensation for the development of the player from the age 12 to 18.
But United countered with £50,000, arguing only the time since the 2012 liquidation of the Ibrox club is relevant.
That’s infuriated the Govan outfit, who squashed talks to await the verdict of an independent panel early next season.
It is the latest in a series of conflicts between the clubs, stretching back to United’s involvement in the decision not to allow Rangers to play in the SPL in 2012-13.
In deciding to reject an offer from Rangers in order to switch to Dundee United as a free agent this summer, the Scotland Under-19 cap raised more than a few eyebrows.
Seen as one of the brightest products of the Murray Park youth system, he was tipped as a future Ibrox first team star. Yet if the failure to hold onto the midfielder irked some Rangers fans, it should be nothing to the reaction to news of United’s inflammatory stance in subsequent compensation talks.
Under Scottish regulations, clubs who lose a player under the age of 23 through freedom of contract are entitled to payment for his development and training.
The scheme protects those who invest heavily in youth development, only to see their best prospects snapped up by bigger clubs.
In exploratory talks about Telfer, Rangers using the ready reckoner for such cases asked for a payment of between £175,000 and £200,000 for bringing Telfer through from the age of 12. Tangerines chairman Stephen Thompson, though, offered just £50,000.
He dismissed all but the last two years as irrelevant because in his eyes Rangers only came into existence in 2012.
That stance has infuriated the club and will provoke a similar reaction from the Light Blues support.
The liquidation of two years ago is not disputed. But, they assert, the purchase of business and assets by the new company covered Rangers’ illustrious history, including the world record 54 titles and seven domestic Trebles.
Now, with no agreement reached, the validity of United’s argument centring on the successful departures of stars such as Steven Davis, Steven Naismith, and Steven Whittaker in 2012 for nothing is set to be decided by an independent panel. Likely to include a law lord, it should take place early in the new season.
The news will do nothing for already strained relations between the two clubs.
Many Light Blues fans blamed Thompson for the fact the newco was not allowed to join the SPL two years ago. He was involved in the move to open up the vote to all clubs, the catalyst for the so called “Arab Spring” of fan opposition.
With many Rangers fans already annoyed at the Tangerines’ failure to honour tickets for an abandoned league fixture four years ago, the Scottish Cup tie between the pair at Tannadice was subject to a fan boycott.
Since then, there has been the rancour over this season’s Scottish Cup semi-final.
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