Gretna redundancies stir memories

Any thoughts we have of Gretna as a football club and its suitability for the SPL can be put aside for a while to let us consider the unhappy position that the players, backroom and grounds staff have to face.

A sad day

The sorry financial position which the administrators inherited was not created by the staff who were made redundant today.

The players, some of whom had contracts for next season, have to start searching for other clubs. Those who worked behind the scenes have to find other employment. This will be a personal disaster for many.

There remains an outside chance that a buyer can be found and it is reported that a prospective purchaser is having talks with the SFL. Even if an acceptable deal can be agreed it is unlikely that many of today's unhappy staff will find re-employment.

When the axe fell at Motherwell nineteen players were told their services were no longer required. Ten of them had only a few weeks remaining before their contracts expired. Three backroom staff were made redundant. The upheaval at Gretna is much bigger.