D'Artagnan

Yep my agenda is pretty clear - would you care to share it with the rest of us....

Ive done a few pieces over the years bud regarding various aspects - fan ownership/the merit of supporters buses/the Ibrox experience from the perspective of a disabled fan - theres no reason why I couldnt do something around the youth side of things - I'll speak to Colin Stewart and see what I can put together

In fairness to you Rangersitis - you do seem to treat everyone connected with Rangers with equal disdain

I think thats an important point CS - there was a body of us on FF who were critical of SDM much to the chagrin of others - I would say that a failure to defend the club by the Murray regime was as much a driving force behind the formation of the RST than anything else. And in that respect you are correct - division within the support about those in charge is not a new concept.

I find it impossible trublu to forget the issues surrounding SD, even for a minute, to me they bring all the factors together in one contract the need for total transparency. Can I ask you then, if you think it is unacceptable for business partners to open themselves up - should SD's demand for confidentiality over our retail contract be honoured & observed ?

In what respect trublu ? We are currently seeking information from SD in respect of our commercial deal - should we not be entitled to that information due to the cause and effect it will have for them relating to their other relationships ?

In that case Ive probably not explained myself properly in the original artice barca. Where I write "it means sharing information in a readily accessible and understandable format for the fans," I didnt mean elected fans reps - I actually meant all of us ie promulgating the various contracts on the club website where they can be viewed by all.

1. Statement of intent from the club - more for the benefit of future partners than ourselves 2. Drawing up of a Covenant agreed with fans and then given prime position on our website 3. Any future contracts reproduced on the website for easy access - with the agreement, where applicable, of business associates

I agree bud the inclusion on the board of fans groups is a huge step forward and kudos to the current board for facilitating that. 2 points though.. 1. Has the RST rep vacancy on the board caused by the BBC witch hunt been replaced. If not why not ? 2. Same response as to barca earlier - how do we know who will be on the board tomorrow and thus will the same willingness to involve the support be shared by futue incumbents ?

Nope, you are not wrong bud - you are bang on the money.

Its a great step forward Barca - but as I alluded to in the OP - its of little use if they are then gagged.

Bold 1 - Wish Id used that line in my article Lucy Bold 2 - I will. You can rest assured of that.

its not a question of unity CB but more one of transparency - what happens if there is seismic change in boardroom personnel ? We need a template for consistent transparency irrespective of the players in the boardroom.

Nope Lucy - it doesnt get me down. It's worse than that - it reduces me, at times to almost tears. Egos, agendas, vendettas etc - many of which are personal - are put before the good of the club. Strangely enough the only hope I hold out is sickness and despair. That feeling ALL of us had post February 2012, the sleepless nights, worry, stress, anger and defiance. There is not much I would ask us to re-visit from 2012 - perhaps we need to do this however to remember what is really important.

(Alistair Johnston – May 2011) I utilised Johnson’s call for vigilance as the basis of an article for the inaugural launch of WATP magazine. Whilst thankfully WATP magazine has gone from strength to strength, Rangers fans ability to exercise vigilance with regard to our club has sadly not enjoyed similar growth. Today we as fans are left to speculate about the details of a commercial deal with Sports Direct, as successful legal action by the aforesaid Sports Direct, makes the exercise of vigilance virtually impossible. The Sports Direct Deal is in fact only a symptom of a far greater problem – that the exercise of true vigilance is absolutely impossible for fans if they are disconnected or disempowered from the processes, limited or restricted in the information they can access, or even when they can access the necessary information – they are effectively gagged from speaking out. Perhaps before allocating the Rangers support such an important and weighty responsibility, Mr Johnston may wish to consider how effectively he used his time at the club to ensure the Rangers support had the necessary tools to carry out the task he had bestowed upon them. This article is not about the current board, nor the previous one, nor the next one for that matter, whosoever that may be, but what it is most certainly is about however is putting in place for time immemorial both a structure and culture at our club which ensures that at any time our fans are capable of undertaking and exercising effective vigilance with regard to how our club is being run. This means total and complete transparency regarding every aspect of our club, it means sharing information in a readily accessible and understandable format for the fans, and perhaps the biggest challenge of all – ensuring any prospective business associates understand that this will be our club’s default position at all times. Without exception. We don’t want to hear about “practical difficulties”, “insurmountable odds” or “considerable difficulties” – the Rangers support have been subjected to this and more throughout the years and have still emerged triumphant. Give us results not excuses – it’s not only what we expect but what we deserve. Suffice to say if the succession of directors who have sat in the Rangers boardroom over the years had fulfilled their duty in such an exemplary fashion as the Rangers support – then we probably wouldn’t be having this conversation. We need to create a Covenant between club and support, carried on through generations of boardrooms, passed from father to son, a Covenant which enables every Rangers supporter to forensically examine every aspect of our club. On the 9th February 1941, Winston Churchill addressed President Roosevelt, utilising celebrated lines from Longfellow to maximum effect: To the Rangers Board I say this – give us our Covenant and we will finish the job. You know we will not falter.

Its not a question of veracity. The UB statment makes reference to a move to CR 1. It was ST Holders from CR1/CR3/CR4/CR5 who were all surveyed however by the club.

I think what resonates for me with this signing, is not just the player himself, but the fact that our management team clearly have the ability and inspire such confidence, that we can attract players from higher divisions.

You seem to be confusing what the UB's have said in their statement with whom the club have actually written to, regarding the possibility of a move.

Or is it that you didnt agree with some of the criticism which I felt was warranted ? Along with Frankie I felt I was one of the bloggers who was anything but biased, and I actualy felt moved to compliment Frankie on here for consistenty presenting a balanced view of matters throughout the whole debacle. I wrote in WATP magazine that I had no objections to Rangers fans resorting to militant action to effect change - so long as it didnt take the character of a lynch mob mentality. You seem to be confusing satisfaction with the trash with the absence of a viable alternative - something both Frankie and I pointed out on a number of occasions, both on this forum and in blogs.

But what and whom are you referring to ?

What or whom are you referring to ?

It was actually a protest against the imbalance in their reporting, and in addition there was a meeting with some of their head honchos who of course denied any wrongdoing. Probably the same head honchos who a few years later insisted on referring to our club as a newco and who dismissed complaints from bears until they were eventually brought into line by the BBC Trust. But the point stands - and you seem to accept it, there was considerable mistrust of BBC Scotland prior to Whyte. I find it strange you can be so critical of the Rangers support being duped when the same guy conned/duped the likes of Ticketus and (allegedly) SDM.

I think you are forgetting that objections to BBC Scotland's coverage of our club started before Whyte's tenure.

Perhaps had our club not been subjected to such a vitrolic campaign by BBC Scotland it would have been far easier for us not to shoot the messengers.

It was a familiar routine. With wife, and soulmate of lifetime retired to her bed, George knew the protocol. However this evening would provide a slight deviation from the norm. He broke the virginity of the Macallan 43 malt, with a respectful nod to acknowledge the craft and expertise of the “alchemist”. A handful of ice cubes into the crystal glass laid the foundations of a simple, yet unbeatable combination. He shuffled, assisted by his Prestige walking stick, over to the bottom drawer of the cabinet in “Georges Room” and from there he withdrew a simple cardboard box, designed to protect against the ravages of time. From within said box he then removed an old scrapbook carefully and expensively encased and preserved within a Melinex protective cover. Some things are valuable, but memories nonetheless are priceless. Opening the first page the image of Harold Davis stares back at him. It is of course deliberate, and one hopes future generations of George’s family will realise the significance of Harold’s place in that scrapbook. A man who overcame the odds to achieve greatness, those odds skewed against him due to service to his country, yet who still managed to encompass everything pulling on a light blue jersey encompasses. Sometimes the word “Legend”, quite simply, isn’t enough. The following pages are testament to our greatness, stilled images of history which have resulted in anything but stilled celebration. The Caldow penalty against England, Brand , McMillan and Wilson, the strike of the Super Dane (Pre-Laudrup!) which lifted the Scottish Cup in 66, and the wonder of “Slim Jim”, a 16 year old ending a 4 year famine in the League Cup Final, Barcelona , Wee bud sitting on the ball, the dunes of Gullane when “character” and “determination” were our watchword, the magic show which was Davie Cooper, the Souness revolution, the Prince of Denmark (“Brian, why are you so good? [copyright Jim White]) 9 in a row, the pages are endless, and apologies to those which have been skipped over such as the spirit of the Rangers team which came back from 2 down at Hampden to scupper Wuilie Pettigrew’s dream. The latter part of the scrapbook is not quite so reminiscent or enjoyable however. Images of Craig Whyte, his catastrophic reign, and our subsequent treatment at the hands of others adorn the pages. One wonders why this period of our history should be kept rather than ignored. Because adversity and willingness to overcome insurmountable odds reveals the true character of the Rangers support. “No Surrender” is much more than just a match day historical soundbite – rather it is given both legitimacy and credibility by our willingness to refuse to succumb in the face of adversity. The pictures in the latter of part of the scrapbook show Sandy Jardine rallying the troops on the march to Hampden, newspapers cutting displaying our ability to sell out stadiums even in the lowest of divisions, our capability to cause the cancellations of matches in our desire to “follow follow”. Broadcasters such as Adrian Durham don’t talk about regimes – instead they gaze in wonder at a support who refuse to give up on the club they love. Just to clarify, because it really, really is important, that’s people like you and me they are talking about. When we were down we found few (if any allies) but our unconditional love for a club called Rangers caused us to rally round her. We defied the odds, we defied the sceptics, we defied those who hate us and conspire against us, but most importantly we achieved this alone without the help of others. Other than truth and justice courtesy of the courts this has very much been a lone sojourn for the Rangers support. We really need to move on in order to effectively tackle the real enemies of our club. We need to overcome the angst of “boycotter” versus “non boycotter” and recognise ourselves as one support with different viewpoints who all had the best interests of the club at heart. Because believe you me neither the boycotter nor the non-boycotter would wish to see our club dead. But our enemies would. As George turns the final pages of his scrapbook and sips the last of his Macallan, the closing page shows a newspaper cutting from yesteryear, where the great William Struth castigates the Ibrox kit man, after the latter suggested, if necessary, we could borrow from our opponents that day – Clyde – should the need arise. There then followed a stern lecture on how Rangers should and never will rely upon others for their survival. If we are to be self-sufficient and reliant on no-one to ensure our survival, then at the very least we need to be united in purpose. If you don’t believe me, at the very least trust our guiding forefather.