Hildy

Recovery, yes, but a full recovery where we return to winning at least one in two league titles and have a fairly regular crack at the top European competition may not happen. When will we next feature in the CL again? Will the Europa Cup be our level instead? Fans know that Rangers - and Scottish football - have little ambition left. They know that the English league system has left us behind and that catching up is unlikely. The new board brings integrity but what imagination has it brought? What is its blueprint for a more exciting and interesting future? It hadn't even worked out who to appoint as manager. If that was the extent of its foresight, I'm not sure that we can be confident that it has any innovative plans to lift Rangers out of the dead end that is Scottish football.

I agree. Failure to get promotion this season will be a major blow to our chances of a full recovery.

Some people have suggested that another year in this division will be no bad thing in terms of opportunities to rebuild, but this will not excite our fanbase which is beginning to tire of low level football. The damage already done will not be repaired if we have to spend another year in the 2nd division. Remaining here will only add to our woes. We need promotion more than many think.

32,682 yesterday. Predictable or surprising?

He had opportunities to make the situation absolutely clear and didn't take them. At one point he said something about it being a prickly subject but took it no further. Any neutral watching that will think that Rangers is a new club.

Conclusion after watching that? Rangers died and the current Rangers is a new club. Jackson had plenty of opportunities to get the facts about this across and he didn't take any of them. A poor show.

There are no guarantees no matter who owns a club. That's life.

That comment about Walsh is so true. It took about two minutes to see that he was a prospect when McDowall brought him on the other week, and yet he hasn't had a look in until now. This is utterly inexcusable.

The board problem was the main reason for people staying away. Rangers have been rotten to watch for years and attendances held up, but because the football is so bad, it made it much easier for people to stay away when the board issue became much more visible. Once people stopped going, though, they found other things to do and this made it harder for them to commit to a return, but when they came back and were reminded about what they had been missing, it will hardly be a surprise if they think twice before committing to a season ticket. Loyalty is now a two-way street. Fans will stick by the club if the club sticks by them. If the club is perceived to be ambitious, forward looking and determined to have high standards, it will get good backing. If it is reticent and inclined towards the lazy decision that was made with regard to the appointment of the current manager - and this is not a criticism of Stuart McCall - it will lose those people whose ambitions for the club are higher than the new board's appear to be.

Do we have a figure for tonight's game?

Every time McCulloch plays, disillusionment grows, hope fades and morale drops. That's how bad things are. Folk want change. They are tired of seeing an ageing player being an apparent fixture in the side. The longer McCall keeps him in the team, the more people will distrust the new manager's judgement.

Take two. I'm not sure why people think that a Rangers director has to be an experienced business person or an entrepreneur. We need people on the board like that, but not everyone has to be this way. We need someone on the board who understands the politics of being a Rangers fan; who knows how to respond to the attacks that come our way and who realises that the club needs to have political influence and a much bigger footprint in Scottish society. We also need people who have a vision for Rangers and who are not wholly consumed with the nuts and bolts of the day to day operation, important though it is. If every director is a business person or accountant, the club may lack the ability to project and defend Rangers in hostile territory. The board needs variety. Chris Graham gave it a bit extra. He's gone now but his replacement should be of similar pedigree.

Deleted. Tablet problems.

Big clubs have different categories of fan. Not everyone is a dyed in the wool Sash-singing Bluenose. If Rangers are successful and believed to be on the right path, people will be tempted to come along. Public image is more important than ever before. Our away fans droning on about Bobby Sands does not endear the club to anyone. It's one thing having the freedom to sing certain songs and chants, but when it is used in a way that is perceived to be distasteful, it repels people. What parent wants to introduce his child to this? In the past, dubious songs were no big deal - but they are now. The day out is expensive and dull. The singing sections provide a cabaret more than an atmosphere. They are well-intentioned, but atmosphere can't be created artificially. It needs to be organic. Cost is a factor too. People are generally quite bored with what they are witnessing. Handing over good money to watch poor fare which has been tolerated by the club for far too long leads to disillusionment, and eventually, disinterest. Can Scotland's biggest club afford to play a brand of football that is about as appealing as Morris dancing? For some fans, the spirit has been broken. From being fanatics who followed the team everywhere, they have become golfers, fishers, ramblers, shoppers and day trippers. From living Rangers every day they have become detached and distant. This group will not easily return. Not even success will win them back. We do have gloryhunters in the support, though, and God bless them. If we didn't, I'd be even more depressed about the future than I already am. This new board has a hard task on its hands. It needs to understand that a full Ibrox is no longer going to be an automatic occurrence. It is going to have to make Rangers an attractive and appealing club - far more attractive and appealing than it has been for some considerable time.

We saw around 35,000 for Saturday's game when we had a new manager on display and the replacement board was snugly assembled in the directors' box. This was what we wanted. This was the new beginning after several nightmare years, but the sell-out that many predicted did not materialise. It's early to be deeply analytical, but there's no harm in discussion and speculation. Have we lost fans as a result of the cataclysm that shook the club to its foundations? If so, how many have abandoned ship and will they return at some point in the future? I see people suggesting that it might be a good thing to remain in the 2nd division for another year - which I fundamentally disagree with - but if we do, what impact will it have on attendances? Doubtless some will say that it was always going to be like this, but many thought quite differently. Many thought that demand would go through the roof when the boardroom was sorted out. Several factors come in to play: we are labouring on the park, the matchday is generally dull, the same players are on display, a minority doesn't fancy the new regime, the choice of manager didn't excite and already there has been boardroom controversy. What will it take to get Ibrox heaving again? Is a lower average attendance going to be the norm or will the club recover enough to see the old place regularly close to being full?

Has the board indicated what it is likely to do with Edmiston House?

If I was on the Rangers board, I'd have an extensive list of names that might fit the bill. As I'm not though, and nor would I ever wish to be, I have no interest in trawling the market for names that this board are never going to entertain. Directors on the board should be more informed on this matter than we are, and yet clearly they are not. I expect the board to perform to a professional standard. I don't think it has done that.

Indeed. Edmiston House could become a useful pre and post match venue - and with money going to the club.

If McCulloch is still at Rangers next season - in any capacity - many fans will log off. This was supposed to be a new era. Wholesale change is required.

You are better informed now than you were earlier. Imagine not knowing that Walter Smith had turned the job down. Anchorman - the last to know. I bid you goodnight, sir.

"It’s believed McCall was approached after Walter Smith turned down the chance to return to Gers. The Ibrox icon was offered the same role until the end of the current campaign, but decided against it." That second paragraph is pretty clear. Of course newspapers don't always get things right, and they even fabricate things from time to time, but given the choice about who to take more seriously - you or Sunsport - it's not really a contest. I'm going to have to go with the gutter rag.

STUART McCALL is poised to become the new Rangers manager. SunSport understands the former Ibrox star could be confirmed on a short-term deal until the end of the season. It’s believed McCall was approached after Walter Smith turned down the chance to return to Gers. The Ibrox icon was offered the same role until the end of the current campaign, but decided against it. Bookmakers have now suspended betting on McCall returning to Ibrox. We can also reveal McCall has pulled out of his TV duties with BT Sport on Friday night. McCall was meant to be at Pittodrie as a summariser for Aberdeen's clash with Motherwell, but backed out earlier today - fuelling rumours of a Gers return. The new Rangers regime – led by Dave King – has decided to act following Tuesday night’s dismal 1-1 draw with Queen of the South. McDowall – who has been performing caretaker duties since Ally McCoist was put on gardening leave - has won just one of his seven games in charge. McCall – who won five league titles, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups as a player – would prove a popular appointment with Rangers fans. It's believed he's not yet accepted the job. Gers are third in the Championship and are facing a fight to reach the SPFL via the play-offs.

STUART McCALL is poised to become the new Rangers manager. SunSport understands the former Ibrox star could be confirmed on a short-term deal until the end of the season. It’s believed McCall was approached after Walter Smith turned down the chance to return to Gers. The Ibrox icon was offered the same role until the end of the current campaign, but decided against it. Bookmakers have now suspended betting on McCall returning to Ibrox. We can also reveal McCall has pulled out of his TV duties with BT Sport on Friday night. McCall was meant to be at Pittodrie as a summariser for Aberdeen's clash with Motherwell, but backed out earlier today - fuelling rumours of a Gers return. The new Rangers regime – led by Dave King – has decided to act following Tuesday night’s dismal 1-1 draw with Queen of the South. McDowall – who has been performing caretaker duties since Ally McCoist was put on gardening leave - has won just one of his seven games in charge. McCall – who won five league titles, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups as a player – would prove a popular appointment with Rangers fans. It's believed he's not yet accepted the job. Gers are third in the Championship and are facing a fight to reach the SPFL via the play-offs.

You don't know what is right but you do know what is fabricated?

The new board had a pretty good idea that it was going to win. It knew this for several weeks and did not prepare for dealing with the manager who was already working his notice. He remained in position for two games when he should have been removed from post immediately the new board took office. A new full time option should ideally have been identified, but failing that, a part time option should have been ready to go. Instead, the board approached Smith who turned them down. It should have known Smith's view on this matter well ahead of taking charge. The board has behaved like rank amateurs.