Rangers transfer proposal put to fan vote by SPFL club - and here are the results

The co-operation system is a new intiative from the Scottish Football Association which allows a maximum of three players aged between 16 and 21, who are eligible for Scotland national teams, to join a lower-league club on loan but move back and forth between their parent club and the co-operation club to increase their game time.

Celtic have already struck a deal with Ayr United which has resulted in Jude Bonnar and Kyle Ure, both 19, moving on loan from the Premiership champions to the Championship side.

Now a crop of Rangers youngsters are also set to be farmed out to the second tier after Raith Rovers fans voted in favour of the proposed transfer link-up.

The Kirkcaldy club canvassed nearly 1,500 season ticket holders before deciding to proceed with the agreement. They received 988 responses, with 85.4 per cent voting in favour.

A spokesperson for the Fifers said: “Thank you to everyone who responded to our recent survey on the proposed co-operation agreement.

“We received 988 responses from the 1,456 supporters contacted. Of those, 85.4% voted in favour of entering into the co-operation agreement. We will now engage with Rangers to finalise the next steps of the agreement.

“We believe this is a positive step for Raith Rovers. Other clubs in our division have already established similar partnerships with premiership sides and we see no reason why this would be any different.

“This agreement allows us to strengthen our squad at no cost with players who can hopefully contribute positively and help push the club forward on the pitch.”

Rovers under no obligation

Raith have made it clear that they will be allowed to reject any suggested players they feel wouldn’t fit in with their squad or would be surplus to requirements and they would not be under any obligations to give Rangers youngsters guaranteed amounts of game-time. They will also still be allowed to recruit up to six loan players a season from other SPFL clubs in the summer and January transfer windows.

Rovers manager Barry Robson, a midfielder for Old Firm rivals Celtic from 2008 to 2010, believes the move will benefit his team, saying: “The squad are taking shape, and with a couple more experienced additions, I believe we’ll be in a strong position.

“While the players coming in through this agreement would be younger and less experienced, the deal gives us an opportunity to add depth for matchdays and also in training. I am very much in favour of it. We spoke to a few clubs and, for me, I think that’s something that we can use.

“I think you’ve got to remember that we’re all trying to do things as clubs, all clubs, and we’re trying to do the right things. I think everybody’s looking into different types of co-operation loans. It’s all different clubs – they’re all speaking to each other.

“I’m sure we’ll all know in the next six months to a year if it works. Nobody knows if it is going to work yet, so that’ll be a good thing to see if it does.”

Raith technical director John Potter added: “It has been a challenging window for clubs across the championship and we’re no exception. Barry, the recruitment team and I are still actively identifying players who can make an immediate impact. That includes those suggested by Rangers.

“Barry has a clear way he wants to play, and we would only accept players from Rangers who can strengthen the squad in line with that approach."