It has been announced that a group of Rangers fans - backed by all official fan groups and all unofficial fansites in the online community - including Gersnet - are to hold a peaceful protest within Ibrox Stadium this Sunday. You can read the statement released by the group below.
For 18 months, Rangers fans have seen key assets sold for relatively low fees and have seen absolutely no investment in the playing staff or fabric of the club. Rumours emanating from various sources, including from within the club, are plentiful concerning Mr Muir and his involvement at the club, including the suggestion he was only appointed after pressure from Lloyds TSB.
Despite questions being asked, there have been no clear answers. Journalists have been refused interviews and nothing at all has been done to help ease the minds of the Rangers support. Mr Muir has agreed to take on the responsibility of becoming a Rangers director and he therefore has the responsibility of answering to the support, which has refused to do. There is clearly a groundswell of feeling amongst the Rangers support that we are being ignored in the on-going process of finding our place in the modern era. This has to stop, and this is why we, a group of unconnected Rangers fans have got together to issue this statement.
We would therefore call on the Rangers Board of Directors, Mr Muir and Lloyds TSB to answer the following questions:
• Have contracts been offered to key players, for example Kris Boyd?
• Have any contract offers been subsequently altered or blocked by Mr Muir?
• What are Mr Muir’s exact responsibilities on the Rangers Board and does he have the ability to overrule the decisions of other directors?
• Does Martin Bain have to clear any decisions with Mr Muir?
• Did Walter Smith have the option of reinvesting the funds generated by the sale of Pedro Mendes and the release of Jerome Rothen?
• Were any requests for new players, either purchased or on loan, during the recent transfer window blocked by any or all of the Rangers Board? If so, who made this decision?
• Has an informal offer for the club been made? And if so on what grounds was it deemed unacceptable?
• Who is making any decision in respect of the selling price of the club and whether any offer for the club is accepted or rejected?
• Are Lloyds TSB insisting on full repayment of the debt prior to the club being sold?
• Is there an ongoing issue with Sir David Murray and his share-holding in the club?
• Does Mr. Murray have any input on the sale of our club?
We would also call on any prospective new owners of Rangers Football Club to make themselves known. This would allow the support to give full and honest consideration to anything they have to say. We would call on Murray International Holdings Ltd or Lloyds TSB to release them from any non-disclosure agreement to allow the support to assess the plans for our club.
At this time we believe the best way forward is a peaceful protest in the stands until these questions are answered. Display of banners both before the game and at half time are planned during the next home game on 14th February.
We are fully supportive of the work Walter Smith and the players have been doing and would like to stress that any protest is aimed in no way at the playing staff or the management team.
There is scope for future protest outside of the stadium and we see that avenue to be more for any escalation of activity. We are not trying to start a witch-hunt against any individual or group and understand that any debt that the club owes requires to be repaid over a reasonable timescale, We simply demand that our questions are answered. We request that people who agree with the aims of this protest refrain from demonstrating outside on this occasion.
This protest is not a one off. The goals are ones that every one of us demands to see fulfilled and should we be unsuccessful initially we are committed to further protest until answers are given.
Despite questions being asked, there have been no clear answers. Journalists have been refused interviews and nothing at all has been done to help ease the minds of the Rangers support. Mr Muir has agreed to take on the responsibility of becoming a Rangers director and he therefore has the responsibility of answering to the support, which has refused to do. There is clearly a groundswell of feeling amongst the Rangers support that we are being ignored in the on-going process of finding our place in the modern era. This has to stop, and this is why we, a group of unconnected Rangers fans have got together to issue this statement.
We would therefore call on the Rangers Board of Directors, Mr Muir and Lloyds TSB to answer the following questions:
• Have contracts been offered to key players, for example Kris Boyd?
• Have any contract offers been subsequently altered or blocked by Mr Muir?
• What are Mr Muir’s exact responsibilities on the Rangers Board and does he have the ability to overrule the decisions of other directors?
• Does Martin Bain have to clear any decisions with Mr Muir?
• Did Walter Smith have the option of reinvesting the funds generated by the sale of Pedro Mendes and the release of Jerome Rothen?
• Were any requests for new players, either purchased or on loan, during the recent transfer window blocked by any or all of the Rangers Board? If so, who made this decision?
• Has an informal offer for the club been made? And if so on what grounds was it deemed unacceptable?
• Who is making any decision in respect of the selling price of the club and whether any offer for the club is accepted or rejected?
• Are Lloyds TSB insisting on full repayment of the debt prior to the club being sold?
• Is there an ongoing issue with Sir David Murray and his share-holding in the club?
• Does Mr. Murray have any input on the sale of our club?
We would also call on any prospective new owners of Rangers Football Club to make themselves known. This would allow the support to give full and honest consideration to anything they have to say. We would call on Murray International Holdings Ltd or Lloyds TSB to release them from any non-disclosure agreement to allow the support to assess the plans for our club.
At this time we believe the best way forward is a peaceful protest in the stands until these questions are answered. Display of banners both before the game and at half time are planned during the next home game on 14th February.
We are fully supportive of the work Walter Smith and the players have been doing and would like to stress that any protest is aimed in no way at the playing staff or the management team.
There is scope for future protest outside of the stadium and we see that avenue to be more for any escalation of activity. We are not trying to start a witch-hunt against any individual or group and understand that any debt that the club owes requires to be repaid over a reasonable timescale, We simply demand that our questions are answered. We request that people who agree with the aims of this protest refrain from demonstrating outside on this occasion.
This protest is not a one off. The goals are ones that every one of us demands to see fulfilled and should we be unsuccessful initially we are committed to further protest until answers are given.
ENDS
Comments
Add in subsequent flyer drops, banners and chants which will form part of the protest; and associated media coverage; then we will also be trying to reach the offline supporter who may not otherwise be in receipt of information that the rest of us have debated in recent times.
To that end, I think this protest is valuable and worth supporting because it seeks clarity. I'm not convinced one man or one organisation is to blame - Walter Smith, Donald Muir, Alistair Johnston and Sir David Murray have all played their part in aiding confusion - deliberately or otherwise. Rangers FC, Lloyds Bank, the media and fan groups have done similar. As such, it is difficult to focus the protest or the questions we have easily.
The questions remain regardless of blame so the point of the protest (for me) is to try and find the answers while placing some slight pressure on all via the strength of our loyal support. Meanwhile, we maintain our clear support for the management team and players as it is essential we win the SPL this season - no matter how good or bad the financial situation is.
Will it work? I honestly don't know but at least we're moving forward in trying to organise the fans into a group who can try and find the answers we need. Therefore, please criticise obviously, but please keep it constructive; respect our right to ask the questions and, finally, if you have any ideas or suggestions for the protest (or indeed a different strategy), let us hear them.
:)
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