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Hildy

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Everything posted by Hildy

  1. Hildy
    Pressure on Ally? What pressure? A draw against Celtic would have put him under pressure - this is Christmas come early.
  2. Hildy
    Our draw is about as easy as it could be, so there's no reason to complain, but I wouldn't have been disappointed with a home draw against Inverness or St Johnstone. A good competitive game against higher standard opposition would have made for a decent game and hopefully provided a bit of worthwhile preparation for the semi-final.
  3. Hildy
    Lennon's record in the Cups is poor, but winning the league by miles and qualifying for the CL money-spinning stage two years in a row keeps him secure in the job. In addition, he is the poster boy for a particular element in the Celtic support so he is effectively unsackable. When he does leave, the accompanying story will be that he's been driven out of Scotland by sectarian bigots. Put your mortgage on it. There are Celtic fans that don't want him there, but we tend not to hear too much about their views.
  4. Hildy
    As a support, we believed that there was a long line of successful Rangers-minded business people to buy in and mind the club. We expected our board to consist of leading lights in Scottish society - people that could be looked up to and admired - and trusted. Those days are over. It is futile to cling to this belief when Rangers has moved from being a feared and respected entity to an unforeseen low where it is detested and loathed, and where its enemies are actively trying to kill it. The idea that random ownership can protect Rangers in this climate is about as far removed from reality as it is possible to get. Badmouthing Rangers is a national sport. Undermining the club is a press obsession. Humiliating Rangers is a frequent occurrence. We have become a laughing stock in our own country, and while we wait endlessly on White Knights turning up. we endure yet more black days. The case for having a sole owner at Rangers died and went to heaven. If a huge fanbase like ours needs another man from the big hoose to look after it, the future is going to be a very grim place. Let's put our belief where it should always have been: in ourselves.
  5. Hildy
    Firstly, Andy, I think we do ourselves a disservice talking about baggage. There are certain aspects of the nature of the support that may seem out of place now which not too long ago were deeply rooted within it. That's not to say that things don't need to change, but let's not trample on those who followed the club in previous times who were more forthright in their expression. As for the Union Flag across the seats, think of it this way. There was a time when the monarch decided everything. The idea that anyone else could have a say was thought to be crazy. Gradually, though, a relative handful of people were given the vote, and society didn't collapse. Then more people were given the vote, and after a while women were given it, too. Now we're about to have schoolchildren having a say in the coming referendum. The more democracy has spread in society, the better it has become. It might not be perfect, but empowering the masses hasn't weakened countries. Instead, it has civilised them. What have we to fear from ourselves as Rangers fans? A fan-owned club will allow members to vote for an overseeing committee and a president, but the club will still be run by professionals - accountable to us. Look how upset fans become when the manager doesn't wear a suit. We understand the importance of image, and we know too that images of flags across the seats would be a step too far. I want my opinion to matter, but I can live with being outvoted - as long as every member has just one vote. If we have a hundred thousand members, tiny factions within the support won't matter. If countries can get by with every citizen having an expressed opinion on who should govern, why can't Rangers?
  6. Hildy
    I see no indication that the Milans and Juve would prefer a superclub alternative rather than playing in the Italian League, but even if they did, and if they got together with other top clubs, it would not be a bad thing from our point of view. Finally, we could get out. We are in a graveyard right now. Anything that happens which enables a worthwhile exit has to be seen as an opportunity for betterment. At some point a change will happen. It's in our interests for that change to come quickly.
  7. Hildy
    Ally, those clubs don't need to create a new league. They are well-served by what they already have. Rangers needs a richer environment in which to participate, and it will never be the Scottish domestic set-up. If nothing changes, we will be marginalised from the big time indefinitely, so change is not just desirable for Rangers - it is essential. We have to explore alternatives. The Atlantic League is one. Within a European context, there may be others, too. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
  8. Hildy
    That's a decent post, Andy. We have become poison in our own land. People are actually shy about an association with Rangers because they have concerns that it could tarnish their career prospects. I was told once that a former director, before he became a director, used to claim to be a Thistle fan. He just didn't need the hassle that can sometimes go with an admission of a Rangers allegiance - and he is not alone. I've met people who say they are Thistle fans, but when you get to know them, it turns out that they are Rangers fans, but uncomfortable saying so publicly. What can we do about being an outcast? I would suggest that there is nothing much that can be done until we become fan-owned. We are relying on strangers to run the club any way that they want, and they have no real conception of how badly things are at Rangers - not just financially - but as an entity within society. In some respects, I think we are losing the middle class. Just as you are aware that we have become an uncomfortable fit in Scottish football, so too have others who are sick of being tagged as bigots and worse. In some ways, they grow out of Rangers. As they become successful, they leave Rangers behind. Obviously, there are exceptions, but if there really is a drift away by the professional classes from the club, the task of losing 'public enemy' status will be that bit harder. Should we move to England? The short answer is 'no' unless we get in at a high level, which seems unlikely now. Joining the English set-up at a low level and taking an eternity to climb to the top - if we even managed to do that - would finish Rangers as a big club. This would be a recipe for disaster. Where else can we go? There is nowhere else unless an Atlantic League or similar happens. I can't understand why clubs outside the major nations don't get this organised. I'd hope that Rangers were looking at this type of possibility with some urgency, but they are probably too busy at the moment keeping an increasingly dull show on the road. What is the general outlook? Grim. If Rangers really had gone under, it would have been greeted throughout much of Scotland by a mixture of relief and celebration. Some of us are loath to admit it, but we are viewed as a black sheep - not just in football - but across society. This situation can be fixed, but we'd need fan control to rectify it. We could transform Rangers into the finest football club and sporting institution in the land, an organisation that people are proud to be associated with, but it won't happen while it is a vehicle for strangers to make money and exploit. This is a complex issue, and solutions are thin on the ground, but until we do some very deep soul-searching, we'll continue to labour and under-achieve - on and off the park. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
  9. Hildy
    It's a setback for the fan ownership movement - and for the Rangers support too. It's regrettable that fans who have bought into the fan ownership movement have struggled to work constructively together to advance it. The last time the RST had difficulties and a split, some good people were lost. It will be a shame if the same happens again, although I have no sympathy - nor will I support - the splitters. Good ideas need trusted people to carry them forward. I'm not convinced that we have a winning formal here, even if any new idea is viable. On the bright side, though, it's encouraging that more and more people are looking realistically at Rangers being a fan-owned club. Having fallouts is disappointing, but nowhere near as upsetting as calls for the likes of Dave King to come in. Gradually, inch by inch, we're leaving the sole proprietor era behind. I know some struggle to come to terms with this, but it is the great liberation. When the slave was able to leave his master, he left. He didn't hesitate, even though the future was insecure and uncertain. The fan-ownership guys may not be singing from the same hymn sheet, but they understand that the support has the capability to secure this club's future, and for that I applaud them. It's just a pity that the road to a better future is so full of twists and turns. It was always going to be a rough ride of course, but despite the hazards, the destination will eventually be reached. I just hope we get there in time.
  10. Hildy
    Benefits of fan ownership: Ownership is secure and stable. No longer is there a worry that the club could fall into the hands of someone like Craig Whyte, Charles Green or even David Murray. Any figure wanting to become president of the club would have to stand for election and seek the approval of a majority of the membership. If someone like Dave King, for example, wanted to give Rangers a large cheque, he could still do it, but he could never own the club. He could, however, become its elected president. The club would be accountable and organised democratically. Most of the time the main function would be to elect a president and an overseeing board, but when major issues needed addressing - like moving to a new ground or selling the training centre - a vote of the members would be required to either reject the proposal or give it the green light. Nothing major could happen without member approval. We've seen owners changing the team colours of the clubs they buy, and even changing club names too. That would cease to be a worry for us. There are different models of ownership to look at before opting for one that suits us. Barcelona and Real Madrid are fan-owned and so are the clubs in the German League. A study would have to be undertaken and then a particular system recommended. It might need tweaking but it surely isn't beyond us to come up with a model to do the job. With fan ownership, the uncertainty of when the club is going to be sold will be gone forever, and so will the fear that an unsuitable party could buy it. We've been around for 140 years, and recent events have shaken the Rangers support to its core. We have to learn from this. There are no guarantees in life no matter what system is used, but while Rangers can be purchased by anyone, and for any reason, Rangers fans can only be certain of one thing: Rangers may not be forever. A few years ago, comments like this would have been scoffed at, but not any more. The main door of Ibrox Stadium should be closed forever to rogues and charlatans. Fan ownership will achieve this. Even if it does nothing else, this will allow us to plot our own future free from interlopers whose prime motivation, sometimes their only motivation, is self-gain.
  11. Hildy
    Calscot, sometimes I forget, but not this time. I dedicate this reply to you. Best regards, Hildy
  12. Hildy
    Chilledbear, any fan group should be independent of the club. The Assembly was given thousands of pounds by the club, and that's a nonsense, maybe even a disgrace. A club-funded group is effectively a boss's union. It is not the way to proceed. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
  13. Hildy
    D'Artagnan, I agree that the Trust must live up to high standards and get its house in order, but in the real world - as we can see at Rangers - the harsh reality of working together inevitably creates casualties and sees fallouts. It's unfortunate, but it will happen again in the future - because people care enough and are passionate enough to profoundly disagree with each other - and sometimes things overheat. What should not happen, though, is for us to be so politically immature as to imagine that the whole shooting match should be abandoned. That's as daft as giving up on Rangers and starting a new club.
  14. Hildy
    D'Artagnan, after all that has happened to Rangers, it is most assuredly devalued. I take it you won't be giving up on it? Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
  15. Hildy
    Brahim, next to the shambles that is Rangers Football Club, the RST is as harmonious as a church choir and as smooth running as a Rolls Royce. Our club is a mess, and its troubles have been well documented. What should we do then? Give up on it and start over? Of course not. We must strive to make it better. We must try and oust the negative elements and put the club on a safe footing once more. If the RST has some current difficulties, it can and will get over them - just as Rangers Football Club must do with regard to its problems.
  16. Hildy
    When Rangers fans are reduced to calling it a cult, their views can hardly be taken seriously.
  17. Hildy
    Walter Smith told us that the Rangers board was dysfunctional. Did we close down the club? Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
  18. Hildy
    The RST is a vehicle to bring about fan ownership. Some want to wreck it, but of course their motivations may be based more on personal feelings than on intellectual judgement. The idea that Rangers fans want to crash the one vehicle that will drive us out of this mess is as disappointing as it is absurd. The approximate 2,000 members of BuyRangers have staked their claim. The RST will be here for as long as it takes. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
  19. Hildy
    It's almost reassuring that the Rangers board took a dim view of the representations of the fan groups. That's almost a ringing endorsement of their worth. There is no more discredited group in the Rangers family than the Rangers board of directors.
  20. Hildy
    Andy, of course people want to see the team competing at a high level again, but there is undoubtedly an element that dislikes fellow fans holding the club accountable and taking it to task. 'They are no' better fans than me' is the cry, which despite being perfectly true, holds the support back from having a club which is more transparent and less distant. In essence, if you don't own Rangers, many fans think that you are not entitled to ask difficult questions of it. Large swathes of the support are happy for the club to be under the unchallenged rule of someone like SDM - but when things go wrong, and they couldn't have gone more wrong in recent times, that's when questions get asked - and by then, it's too late. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
  21. Hildy
    Andy, there are people who don't like the RST for a variety of reasons, including personal ones. Not everyone in the organisation will have liked one another over the years. With around 70 board members since it started, this is inevitable. In this respect, it resembles a political party where personal enmity is not uncommon - but people still tend to be mature and balanced enough in political parties to work for the common good rather than taking the huff. As a support, we expect harmony on all things in our fan groups, which of course is impossible. When there is a fallout, it takes forever for the smoke to clear. Some people are still going over an event that happened years ago and using it to cast the RST in a bad light. In truth, I think they relish doing so. On the other hand, we have Dave King, who may or may not have an association with Rangers at some point in the future, and his background is quite colourful. Some of those who point the finger at what they believe to be RST shortcomings - and I'm not pointing the finger at anyone specifically - will gladly gloss over any questions relating to his background. Essentially, if King bought Rangers, few would be interested in dwelling on his past. If he didn't, though, and he became an RST board member instead, it would no surprise if it suddenly became open season on him. Many want a new Rangers monarch. They aren't interested in fans getting 'ideas above their station'. Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
  22. Hildy
    Zappa, any club-backed 'membership' scheme will make you a member of what exactly? A scheme like this will be a type of loyalty project where you receive discounts on merchandise for effectively gifting money to the club. There might be some kind of representation attached to make it look authentic, but it will be more scam than scheme. The club like the idea because it's money for nothing. We want fans to own shares to win control of the company. When the club is in the hands of the support, it will no longer divert money into the pockets of people who don't deserve it and who haven't earned it. £200,000 bonuses for winning the 4th division? Truly unbelievable and beyond farce. Any regime that does that and then decides to operate a 'membership' scheme should be trusted as far is it can be thrown. We're throwing good money after bad. We need the club to belong to us - then we can be proper members of Rangers instead of pretend ones.
  23. Hildy
    Bluedell, the RST, the Association and the Assembly have cooperated with each other for quite some time, but it doesn't stop people wondering why there are three different groups. As it happens, they each have different functions, but it doesn't stop people wanting them to merge. When it gets to singing sections, though, and two groups need to set themselves apart from one another, even if they still cooperate, it does tend to lend credence to the theory that the Rangers support is splintered and dysfunctional.
  24. Hildy
    Calscot, I agree with your last post. I wouldn't encourage anyone to buy huge numbers of Rangers shares. As you say, buy only what you can afford to lose. £100 - £200 seems like a decent level at which to invest. We're not in this to make money. We're in this because it matters and because we care.
  25. Hildy
    It's a free country, Bluedell. If you are prepared to put in the work required, good luck to you, but it's this kind of thinking that weakens us as a support and as a club. If we need to create new groups to reflect our own image all the time, it's no wonder we are in such a mess. People want cooperation and a semblance of unity, and we can't even get a couple of singing sections sharing the same section.
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