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http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26959101 Every football club launches a season ticket renewal campaign. No club other than Rangers is likely to find it such a fraught process. Price rises, ranging from between 15% to 25%, were inevitable and had been indicated at the annual general meeting of shareholders last December. For fans, though, the decision on whether or not to renew is complicated by the club's state of affairs. Dave King King believes Rangers need significant investment if they are to challenge for Scotland's major honours Even the timeframe has drawn attention, since the renewal deadline is 6 May, less than four weeks away. In the context of the discontent that has gathered around Ibrox, the sense is of supporters being given little time to make their choice. There is always an emotional element to the commitment, but Rangers fans have generally become more wary, even before the prospect of the Union of Fans - a coalition of supporters groups - opening a trust fund as an alternative for supporters who don't want to renew under the current circumstances. In meetings last month with the former director Dave King, who wants to invest in the club, the Ibrox board had agreed to complete the business review being undertaken by chief executive Graham Wallace before the season ticket renewal process. King will consider the launch as a breach of that agreement and is likely to respond firmly. The results of Wallace's review, and subsequent funding plan, will determine how Rangers approach the attempt to gain promotion from the Championship next season. They will also go some way to determining King's approach. He wants to provide funds to invest in the team and the football infrastructure now, to enable Rangers to return and then immediately compete in the top flight. In his view, this should be done through the issuing of new shares, which could grant him overall control. The board agreed to similar sporting aims, but do not have the money to finance it since the cash reserves have run out. Wallace needs to cut around £3m from the current running costs, and increase the revenue streams, just to bring the business to an even keel, but the season ticket money is also required just to keep the business going. This is the backdrop to the renewal campaign, which is symbolic of the lack of unity that abounds. Wallace announced at the AGM that his business review would take 120 days, which ends on Thursday 17 April, yet in the notes accompanying the interim results last month he indicated that it might be the end of April before the review and report to the board are completed. The business's going concern status was also only signed off on the basis of the price rise and a modest uplift in renewals. Despite Rangers embarking on their bid for promotion back to the Premiership, in a second tier that will contain Hearts but also possibly other leading clubs, it seems a stretch to believe that more than 37,000 will sign up for season tickets. As well as uncertainty about what funding will be available, or if only cuts will be imposed on the squad, supporters have grown weary of the quality of football this season. The defeat by Raith Rovers in the Ramsdens Cup final drew a disdainful response, and there is still a Scottish Cup semi-final against a talented Dundee United side to address. Either through concern about the quality of the football, frustration with the board and the direction of the club, or just a doubt about the club's financial stability when £1.5m in loans had to be sought from two shareholders last February and both Ibrox and Murray Park require maintenance work, the willingness to renew is being eroded. It has previously been a matter of faith, an indication of the supporters' ongoing commitment to their team. It is now a matter of judgement, of trust or otherwise. There is no incentive to renew immediately, and even missing the 6 May deadline would not be critical since there is no waiting list and supporters who hold off could still retain their seats. The alarm for the directors is a significant drop off in numbers, since this would drastically undermine their means to continue, and make it more difficult, perhaps even impossible, to hold off King. Rangers will receive the season ticket income up front, since a finance company will underwrite the options that allow fans to pay in instalments, a common arrangement in football. The first £1.5m raised, though, will be used to pay back the shareholder loans - from George Letham and Sandy Easdale, who is also a director on the football club board. The directors will watch the initial renewal numbers with concern, while some supporters will await the review, and others will wait to see what the general uptake is like. With the money raised from the initial public offering of shares in December 2012, and two tranches of season ticket money, having been spent, wariness is widespread. It is also political, since the future of Rangers - as it stands - would seem to either involve cost-cutting under the current powerbase of directors and a group of aligned shareholders, or King becoming the significant influence. Fans can buy tickets on a game-by-game basis. The season ticket uptake will reflect the mood for change or otherwise, but also go some way to determining Rangers' short-term future.

THE Rangers skipper was banned from commenting on the post-match party - and boss Ally McCoist's karaoke turn - but says that he and his team-mates owe the fans for Rangers' Ramsdens Cup Final humiliation. LEE McCULLOCH last night apologised for a Ramsdens Cup embarrassment he labelled worse than liquidation. The Rangers skipper held his hands up for the shocking performance that saw Ally McCoist’s men lose Sunday’s final against Raith Rovers in extra time. But he was banned from commenting on the after-match “party” at Ibrox that featured manager McCoist singing Meat Loaf. Instead he laid bare what he branded the lowest point of his career – and that includes the insolvency events which rocked Ibrox two years ago. McCulloch said: “It was the lowest point in my football career. And I’m factoring in administration. The lot.” The 35-year-old apologised to McCoist and the fans for the Easter Road display and insisted they will up their game for Saturday’s Scottish Cup semi-final clash against Dundee United. He said: “The players obviously owe the manager for the support he has shown us, myself in particular, over the past couple of years since the club went into administration. “It would be great to give him something back when we play against United in the Scottish. “Also, after the support we took to Easter Road last Sunday, it would be great to give the supporters something to shout about after what has been a tough week for them. “We want to produce a better result than we did last week in the final. That much is obvious. “We owe it to each other as players. We owe it to the management and we owe it to the fans. “Hopefully we can get the result that we need. “But we are going to need men and we are going to need leaders. “What a chance we have as players to show we have those attributes.” McCulloch was at Ibrox yesterday to launch the sale of season-ticket books. He was asked pointedly if he would buy one after the result that embarrassed the fans who went to the capital and those far beyond. “Why not?” he replied. “If you’re a Rangers fan you want to be there to see the team progress. “I was delighted to pledge my long-term future to Rangers when we played in Division Three last season and I want to play my part in our rise back to the very top of Scottish football.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/no-comment-cup-karaoke-rangers-3395007

This should be interesting, renewals before the 120 days. Rangers will launch their season ticket renewal campaign at Ibrox tomorrow. As reported in the Herald today, prices expected to rise by 18%.

THE next crisis is scheduled for just after high noon on Saturday. Ally McCoist faces his biggest on-field challenge yet against Dundee United. Picture: SNS However, Rangers supporters, bloodied and bruised by two extraordinary years of turbulence, will be reminded bluntly about the realities of their club somewhat sooner that the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final with Dundee United at Ibrox this weekend. The season-ticket renewal letters will be sent out tomorrow, with informed sources suggesting an 18% hike. These missives might precipitate a period of reflection among supporters. The crisis at the club is political, financial and professional. It has seeped from the boardroom to the playing field. The crux of the matter in the wake of the Ramsden Cup victory by Raith Rovers appears to be the future of Ally McCoist, the Rangers manager. A simple investigation of "should he go or should he stay" has more twists than Agatha Christie on a Waltzer. Rangers are believed to be in the almost unique position in football of having a manager who can't walk away from a club that can't sack him. The belief is that the board and McCoist are welded together by mutual necessity. Being Rangers, however, it is not as simple as that. McCoist remains determined, even defiant. He has been sorely tested by the events both before and after liquidation. He has made mistakes both on and off the field. But he has become the rallying point for a support who have been introduced to more chancers and comic singers than a matinee audience at the Glasgow Empire. The Rangers manager could be forgiven for deciding that his future lies away from a club that he loves and a job that he craved. His professional abilities have been scrutinised with some rigour in the aftermath of defeat to Raith Rovers. The accusations include: his recruitment policy is and was flawed, his tactical acumen is limited, and his ability to make a game-changing decision is hardly conspicuous. There is a validity in all of this but McCoist is entitled to point out that players were necessarily bought in haste, that his tactics have been good enough to ensure only two defeats all season and who needs to change the flow of a game that your team is already winning? The pressure, though, is growing and is in danger of becoming intolerable. McCoist, famously, cannot do walking away. A personality with a strong sense of self-will and a belief in self-reliance, McCoist must wait on the deliberations of the board, however constituted that may be in the immediate future. The accepted truth is that he cannot be sacked in deference to his place as Rangers legend and as the enduring beacon in the most stormy of times at the club. This is no longer correct. First, there is a loud element of the Rangers support who are looking for change in the manager's office as well as the boardroom. Second, the present board includes those who have little time for McCoist. This disaffection stretches far beyond his capabilities or otherwise as a football manager. McCoist's decision to give the proxy vote on his shares to a supporters' club at the club's annual meeting in December was handled delicately by Graham Wallace, the chief executive. However, it was greeted with some anger by other members of the board. The chance of a united front against the requisitioners was weakened considerably by the manager's stance. This has not been forgotten or forgiven. There are also those on the periphery of power at Ibrox who are not admirers of the manager and have called on him to be sacked. McCoist has had a good relationship with Wallace but there are reports that this has been severely dented, if not fractured, in recent days. If they continue to sing from the same hymn sheet, it is with strained voices. There is, too, a constituency that argues that the sacking of the manager would give the sale of season tickets a necessary and timely boost. More sober voices point out that the level of uptake of season tickets may be beyond any such move given the continued uncertainty in the boardroom and the prospect of competing in the SPFL Championship with a squad that is not considerably improved. There is also the belief that finding a replacement for McCoist may be easy, but that does not mean it carries a guarantee of success on the pitch. "This place is bedlam," said a Rangers insider. "There is no budget, no scouting and no stability. "Who wants such a job? And are they the sort of people who could make it work?" Despite all this, of course, McCoist could be sacked and there would be little concern over any pay-off. "Can you imagine Ally suing Rangers?" said one cynical but acute observer last night. The manager thus prepares for a defining match against Dundee United against a backdrop of severe sniping, unyielding criticism and increasing pressure. He would be forgiven if he remarked with his trademark smile: "So what's new?" This rhetorical inquiry may be answered by Dave King, the South African businessman, who is pressurising the board to accept his plan for an immediate investment of £50m backed by a rights issue. The issuing of the season-ticket book reminders might prompt King to make another verbal intervention as he seeks to persuade fans that he offers the last best hope of a swift re-invigoration of the club. His supporters insist he would provide funds for a strengthened squad for next season's campaign. King would almost certainly also back McCoist, at least in the short term. However, King did not become a multi-millionaire on the back of a penchant for patience and a predilection for backing those who do not give him what he wants. Rangers now stand just more than a week away from the publication of the business plan that will set out the way forward. It is difficult to see how it can satisfy King. McCoist, meanwhile, must select and set up a team to defeat a quick, inventive and increasingly confident Dundee United side. The Rangers manager, ever the optimist, will point out his team are just 90 minutes away from unlikely redemption. Until, that is, the next crisis. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/what-to-do-with-a-man-who-cannot-walk-away.23908867?

Back in the Cold War, namby pamby lefty liberal types used to put on dramas every so often, depicting the aftermath of nuclear conflict. The production teams involved found it easier (cheaper) to take the deaths of millions as read and focus on small survivor units, depicted against a horribly convincing nuclear landscape. That the Britain of this period accurately stood in for an atomically ravaged landscape ought to tell us something about Britain in general (vote yes!) but the thing I recall best as a small child was the concept of the nuclear winter, a perma-sunless period of years in which nothing could grow or prosper. Grim stuff. Even then, though, the bleeding heart type couldn't resist closing with some hackneyed image of a small plant growing, as life started again without the fell hand of right wing government bringing about the apocalypse this time. There was always hope! No such luck for us, though. We seem to be struggling to take even a single step forward from the dark days of administration and liquidaton. The UK economy is tottering on Bambi legs toward recovery; Libya and Tunisia had their 'Arab Springs', and while Egypt and Syria are hardly the best of adverts for this particular crap analogy, it beggars belief that entire countries and fiscal systems can absorb shocks and recover faster than a well supported football club based in a settled, safe society. I've bored you before with my patented theory about the dark forces who are slowly killing us, but added to that sheer fatigue is doing people in. Many have stopped going due to the abysmal standard of play, others are deflated by online abuse, while some have just run out of steam. We saw over the weekend D'Artagnan packing it in and no wonder: years of firefighting the attacks of other fans and clubs, with no weapons except to point out their own stinking hypocrisy, while the weight of the media is borne down on our club would knacker anyone. But when the feeling grows that the thing you're spending a stupid amount of time defending isn't worth defending you're in big trouble. Not only is the football rubbish but the officials who run our club have been and remain rubbish since Craig Whyte walked down Edmiston Drive, to the cheers of about 40 people who recognised him. He stared killing us slowly from within, Charles continued (continues?) it, while the present incumbents don't bear speaking about, such is my contempt for them. I suppose the fans of other clubs are loving it, but our slow decline is mirrored in theirs. It's not just us going down, it's football as a whole. No amount of Politburo releases from Pacific Quay about the terrific standard and full stands around the country will fool anyone with a grain of sense: as late as the 70's, when I was watching nuclear dramas, clubs had attendances in the tens of thousands. Certainly the decline had set in and to some extent football has been staving off illness for decades, only ocassionally recouperating before falling ill again. I find myself wondering whether Rangers reflects this: since the heyday of European runs and titles in the 60's, it's been a story of boom and bust, staving off decline with some periods of success. That would be normal for a club in a normal country but it isn't normal in Scotland, because firstly about 90% of fans support two teams and secondly without some success for each of them the financial wellspring of the game runs perilously dry. This comes close to the old 'football needs the OF to thrive' argument, and while I think their dominance has hardly helped the game their withering will scarcely revive it, unless we're aiming for a top league with attendances roughly akin to those of Pollok juniors. Many threads on here are becoming increasingly nostalgic, and no wonder. If there's nothing to look forward to, what else can you do? Maybe the bluebells will be out on that grubby bit of wasteground across from Edmiston Drive by the time I fetch up for the next home game, offering the prospect of a new spring ahead. I have my doubts, though: it's more likely a passing fan of another club will have kicked its head off. edit - while a bunch of bluenoses fight amongst themselves and take no action!

I'm not wanting to start an 'Ally bashing' thread as such as right now I don't think there is any point. We could argue all day about decisions, tactics etc. After speaking to/texting all of my mates/family during/after the game yesterday it was clear than NONE of us wanted Ally to remain in charge. And a few of us were complete Ally defenders of late. Some may have been just a knee jerk reaction to the result I'm not sure. Which led me to this, is there anyone that actually wants Ally to stay? And if so why?

THE Parkhead striker is at the centre of fresh controversy after new video footage emerges of the Edinburgh born player singing a racist song directed at former Hearts player Rudi Skacel. CELTIC star Leigh Griffiths is at the centre of a fresh video storm today after he was filmed leading a pub in a *racist song about former Hearts hero Rudi Skacel. Mobile phone footage passed to the Sunday Mail shows the Scotland striker standing up in the packed pub to start a massed chant branding the Czech player a “f****** refugee”. Footage clearly shows Griffiths, 23, leading dozens of Hibs fans belting out the hateful song in the Roseburn Bar before the club’s *Edinburgh derby with Hearts last Sunday. Wearing a grey top, he stands up with his hands in the air and kicks off the chant before jumping up and down when others join in. Ex-Hibs player Griffiths has already been fined by Celtic and faces SFA *discplinary charges after he was filmed singing a song about Hearts’ *financial problems in the bar. The *incident led to Celts manager Neil *Lennon warning on Friday that the striker – who has been embroiled in a string of controversies – was on a final warning before being kicked out of the club. But Parkhead bosses – who have vowed to take a hardline against bigotry – face a headache over the clip of their £800,000 star, who signed in January. It will anger fans of the club, who were founded to help Irish *immigrants. A pub onlooker said: “Leigh didn’t appear to have a care in the world. “Even though there were a few people filming him on mobile phones, he just carried on jumping up and down and singing. “He was enjoying himself – and the attention he was attracting. “The pub was packed with Hibs fans who were who were loving the fact one of their former players was leading the sing-song.” Griffiths was dropped to the subs bench for yesterday’s match against Dundee United. But Celtic fans showed support by chanting, “Leigh Griffiths sings what he wants” before he came on in the *second half in the 2-0 win. In 2005, former Hibs star Derek Riordan was fined by his club and forced to apologise to Skacel when he was filmed singing the same offensive song in a pub with other fans. Sung to the tune of Beatles’ hit Yellow Submarine, it features the words: “Rudi Skacel is a f****** refugee.” Like Griffiths, Riordan also went on to sign for Celtic. In 2012, Dunfermline fan Andrew Irvine pleaded guilty to aggravated breach of the peace and was fined £200 when he sang the song during a match against Hearts at East End Park. Last night, Anas Sarwar, deputy leader of the Scottish Labour Party and MP for Glasgow Central, called for police to investigate Griffiths’s behaviour. And anti-racism charity Show Racism the Red Card urged Celtic to send *Griffiths to one of their workshops. Sarwar said: “Intolerance and *racism is not acceptable in society, the workplace or football. “It doesn’t reflect the best of *Scotland, we celebrate our *differences and any racist actions from anyone should face the full weight of the law.” Griffiths facing stronger charges from the SFA over latest incident David Foster of Show Racism the Red Card added: “We want to *eradicate racism, bigotry and *sectariansim in all its forms and we believe the best way to do that is through education. “Whatever action Celtic feel they have to take is an internal matter but we hope that Leigh Griffiths will attend one of our events. “The racist words in this song aren’t acceptable and it may be the case that he isn’t fully aware of the damage they cause. “He is a role model and *thousands of young fans look up to him. “Some players wouldn’t choose that status but it comes with the terrority at a big club so it’s *important he’s aware of his *responsibilities.” Griffiths cheered on Hibs with his mates when his former team took on Hearts at *Tynecastle. He was then filmed singing about Hearts going into adminstration in a pub after the match. SFA bosses later charged Griffiths with a breach of Disciplinary Rule 86: “Not acting in the best interests of Association Football by singing in public about Heart of Midlothian FC in administration.” His case is expected to be heard on April 24. The images also forced Celtic to give him a written warning. Lennon said: “We’ve all been guilty of doing daft things at times but that’s his one strike. “I don’t want him doing any more – otherwise his career at Celtic won’t be as long as he maybe wants it to be.” This isn’t the first time Griffiths has been at the centre of a *racism row. Last year, he was arrested and charged over an alleged racist *comment he made on Twitter. Skacel, who’s without a club and considering retiring, was *unavailable for comment. Last night, a Celtic soure said: “The club will take this very *seriously. “They’ve shown outbursts like this won’t be tolerated by players by how swiftly they dealt with the last footage that emerged.” A club spokesman said: “It would be inappropriate to comment until we’ve investigated the *allegation.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/exclusive-celtic-star-leigh-griffiths-3380576

No quotes, could have done it before, and is one of those thrown in the hat every now and then. Alas, he sure has the money to do it ... and is presumably not many people's favourite either. Daily Mirror

Sad to hear that Police Scotland have told the Bridgeton Loyal they won't be allowed to take in and display their brand new (and expensive) banner despite it meeting all of the safety requirements and having been given the OK by both Rangers and Hibs.

Wednesday, 02 April 2014 13:00 Ready To Listen: Phase 1 Results Written by RANGERS FOOTBALL CLUB THE results of the Rangers Ready To Listen fan engagement survey which was launched in February have now been analysed, evaluated and reviewed. An overwhelming 35,265 of our core support took part in the first step of the fan engagement programme which will help shape the future direction of the Club. Participants in the Fan engagement survey included: 50% of adult season ticket holders 83% were matchday attendees 5% from existing supporter groups 10% from overseas With 84% of supporters seeking a review of how the Club engages with fans and 68% feeling the supporters do not have a loud enough voice, it is clear the need for enhanced engagement with the Club should be a priority. One of the key findings and recommendations from the survey is the development of a fan representation board voted for by supporters and representing the interests of all fans including season ticket holders, overseas fans shareholders and families. Indeed, 84% of the fanbase supported the progression of this concept and this is an area we now need to explore further with the wider Rangers support. Fans were also asked for their thoughts on the potential for a membership scheme and 80% were in favour of developing such an initiative. We have listened to the response from fans and are now working on the development of Rangers membership with further fan input for launch over the summer and in advance of the 14/15 season. Supporters identified the top five best performing areas of the business as: Community/Charity Work Club Social Media Club website Safe Matchday Environment Hospitality The five most important aspects of the Club according to fans are: On-pitch performance Youth Development programme Overall direction and management of the Business Fan Engagement Matchday Experience The five most important statements relating to the Club from the list identified are: Proud of its rich history and tradition Open and effective relationship with its supporters Continually strives for sporting success Youth development is key to on-pitch success High standards of integrity and professionalism The most important issues for fans right now are a need for Honesty, Integrity and Transparency going forward, this was made clear in the majority of surveys completed. However, this is not surprising given events at the Club in recent years and the Board is ready to act on that feedback. Graham Wallace commented: "The Club wants to be open about the key issues highlighted in the Ready to Listen fan engagement survey and realises areas of concern like trust, transparency and honesty will not be improved overnight. We understand that trust must be earned and certainly appreciate supporters have had a difficult few years. "There are undoubtedly areas we can improve on and it is clear fans value a greater voice and involvement with the Club. We are listening to these views and will act accordingly. The Club values the feedback received as it will help us shape and ensure a sustainable future for Rangers. "We said at the outset that we wanted to engage with the 44,000 core supporters who attend matches regularly and we were therefore delighted that over 50% of adult season ticket holders took part and 83% of respondents attend games. "We believe that with the Club and fans working together we can impact positively on Rangers future performance and will now move forward into a more detailed phase in a number of areas that were identified." NEXT STEPS More than half of the survey participants advised that they would be keen to participate further in future supporter engagement initiatives to help shape the programme. Supporters were asked if they would be willing to engage with the Club to aid the development of certain areas within the business and the response was again overwhelming. Volunteers for each area are as follows: Ticketing; 6,567 Matchday Experience; 7,876 Hospitality; 3,132 Catering; 4,477 Retail/Merchandise; 6,088 Fan Engagement; 12,289 Club Media; 6,589 Customer Service; 5,409 Membership; 8,723 This next phase of follow-up research will help to define and create a formal fan engagement programme driven by the fans with the support of the Club via a specific fan engagement survey which will be issued next week. Specific communications on other areas of importance to the fans, including those listed above, will also start to be issued from next week and over the coming weeks. Thereafter, more focused face-to-face meetings with fans will be held to engage them on their opinions and insights across these areas with a view to having key initiatives and developments in place for the start of Season 14/15. The Club would like to thank all those who took part in this initial step in the Ready To Listen campaign. Your feedback is invaluable and we look forward to working together on the next steps to help shape the future direction of the Club. To view an infographic of the survey results click here http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/6663-ready-to-listen-phase-1-results

Just noted that Motherwell beat ICT at home last night and John Hughes again was praising their valiant - but in the end vein - display. Well, when Butcher left ICT for the Hibs from the East, the Highlanders were 2nd in the table, 5 points adrift of the Yahoos, 6 points ahead of Motherwell and 8 points ahead of Aberdeen. Since Hughes took over, ICT has slipped to 5th in the table, 36 (thirty-six) points behind the Yahoos, 11 behind Motherwell, and 10 behind Aberdeen. No wonder the Highlanders are growing restless ... Meanwhile, Butcher's masterstroke has lead two teams into SPFL no-mans-land, with Hibs trailing ICT by 11 points, despite the latter's horrendous run. "Wrecked" to teams in one go, did he ...

April 1, 2014 by billmcmurdo Rangers Supporters Loyal The rebels in the Rangers support have reacted with predictable hatred and venom to news that loyal fans are preparing to buy extra season tickets and are also willing to pay extra monies to the club in order to offset the impact of a potential season ticket boycott. The good news for those loyal fans, many of whom read this blog, is that the new supporters group is in the process of being formed. A new website with a forum is being developed and the loyal fans can have an online meeting place that meets their needs – a place free from the negativity and pollution of other online forums. This forum will be a place where Gers fans can communicate with each other without the playground abuse you get elsewhere. It will be heavily moderated in terms of who gets to enter the forum. No agitators, rebels or imposters will be allowed and, if found therein, will be punted swiftly. A code of conduct will be drawn up for the new supporters group and its general ethos will be one of support for the board – without giving the board a blank cheque in any way. Many great ideas have been put forward and we hope the new group will have an immediate and dynamic effect on the Rangers family. The driving force for this new group has been the vision and determination of Ayrbear to create a voice for fans of Rangers who are not anti-board but are very much pro-Rangers. Old-fashioned attributes of dignity, decorum and respect – as exemplified by Rangers men of old – are very much part of the ethos this new supporters group will seek to embody. We all owe Ayrbear and one or two others who are in the background a massive debt for putting flesh and bone to an idea whose time has come. This group will be staunch friends and allies of other Rangers groups who share our values of supporting the club through thick and thin. However, we will implacably oppose those who seek to agitate matters at Ibrox for self-seeking agendas that could damage RFC. There will be an annual membership fee and all monies will be fully accounted for with transparency. It is important for me to say this – this will not be the Bill McMurdo Rangers Supporters Group. I am happy to support it and be involved with it but this new group has come out of that wellspring that is still thankfully at the heart of our massive bluenose support – the wellspring of loyalty to and love for the club which makes us The People. In other words, it is YOUR group. Your devotion to Rangers has demanded that such a group be formed. The group will be known as Rangers Supporters Loyal and this name says everything about what this organisation will epitomise. It is not about individuals but about Rangers FC and what the club stands for. Many of you have indicated your willingness to join Rangers Supporters Loyal. Soon you will have the chance to do just that. Also we will have a meeting soon to formalise things and elect office bearers. We are coming down the road, folks and we will not be stopped, sidetracked or deflected. http://billmcmurdo.wordpress.com/2014/04/01/rangers-supporters-loyal/

Chris Jack ‏@Chris_Jack89 8h 'Easdales want to be the two main #Rangers powerbrokers - but may not be at Ibrox for the long term' Exclusive in Wed @TheEveningTimes

When is the 120th day or has it passed? Not sure if we're counting from Wallace's appointment or the AGM. Also, what's the chances of hearing "the review is over and proposals will be out in 4 week" just to keep us hanging on? It's clear the majority of fans don't trust the board so I'm not sure how they can win hearts and minds without making a magnificent gesture which is tangible to us. Even then it'd be viewed with suspicion but our fans are easily led from the Blue Room. Obviously there's talk of a new share issue but is that realistic when they know King might walk in and scoop up the shares, assume control, and go about clearing the decks for his own people? Wallace might welcome this but I highly doubt Easdales and Laxey will. The small matter of BPH and Margerita most likely objecting to their holding and future earnings dwindling is another factor to count in which could scupper any new share issue. Negative loyal!

Robert Marshall and his son, Greg, have been heavily involved in the formation of Rangers First. Rangers First is a fan-led membership vehicle that aims to buy shares and achieve greater supporter involvement in the running of the Ibrox club. Matthew Lindsay of SportTimes met the lifelong Rangers fans and season ticket holders to speak about the ambitious project and their hopes for the future. How did you get involved in Rangers First? RM: I was invited up to the Supporters' Direct Scotland offices in Stirling. So I went and listened to two lads speak and I liked what they had to say. I thought: "If it can help Rangers I will give it a go." It was just about helping the club. As a fan, I was in. Then we had a meeting here (The Louden Tavern, Ibrox Stadium) to see if the body of the kirk, if you like, wanted to take the idea further. Richard Atkinson, a volunteer with Supporters' Direct who has been involved at quite a few clubs over the years, spoke to us. We had around 50 people here. And not one voice was dissenting. I think it is important to state that this is not anti-board or pro-board. It is pro-Rangers and pro- Rangers fans. At the first meeting we said: "Leave your egos at the door. Leave the politics at the door. Let's just see if we can do this." GM: We have people who attend our meetings who are at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to their attitude to the club board. If it is about individuals then it will fail. It is a vehicle that should be analysed on its own merits. What are the objectives of Rangers First? RM: The first target that Rangers First has is to obtain 5% of shares in the club. GM: That gives you powers in terms of calling a general meeting and getting answers to questions. It is all about getting what is called ACT - authoritative consultative transparency. That basically means the fans having a voice and the club having to listen to and engage with us. This is about the board engaging with the fans so that we know what the situation at the club is and we can all move forward together. It is not about getting a fan on the board. Our members would have to vote on having a representative on the board down the line. It has still to be decided. But, personally speaking, I think we would want a professional representing us. GM: The money the Community Interest Company spends must be to the benefit of the Rangers community. We can't just spend money willy-nilly. Initially, we just want to get shares until we can get the ACT. Once we get that then it will be up to the members to decide what we do with the money after that. We can fund specific projects that are and are to the benefit of the club. BuyRangers already exists. Why is Rangers First necessary? RM: By law we (BuyRangers and Rangers First) have to work together publicly because the schemes have the same principles and the same goals. We want to work together. But I think this vehicle could unite fans. GM: The key point about Rangers First is that it is not partisan. It is trying to unite the small groups into a bigger group. We are saying to them: "You are still allowed to have your differences. This is beyond that." There have been lads at the meetings we have had so far whose personal opinions I do not agree with. But their ethos is right. They genuinely want to put Rangers first. We need to engage with a wider fan base - and especially with fans abroad in countries like Australia and the United States. That is one of the advantages of Rangers First - we can accept payments from abroad. A CIC is to the benefit of the Rangers community and the Rangers community isn't defined by geography. It is what we decide the Rangers community is. And the Rangers community is global. It is basically anybody who considers themselves to be a supporter. They can contribute to it from abroad. The main strength of the CIC is its flexibility. For example, my father and I are going to donate our shares to it. We bought £1,000-worth of shares at the IPO. As well as money you can put shares in. A few of us are going to do that. RM: One of our representatives is going to Hong Kong this week to do a presentation to the Rangers Supporters' Club out there. Richard (Atkinson) also did a presentation with Orsa (Oceania Rangers Supporters Association) recently. We are really trying to engage with the ex-pat fans because it must be really hard for them looking in and not being able to do anything. What has the response to the scheme from Rangers fans been? GM: It is still in the process of being put together. But we have 1,000 members already. That is not bad after two weeks. We are due an update on that any day now. We were at a pub in Lanarkshire a couple of weeks ago at which 10 Rangers Supporters' Clubs were represented. Three of them joined up on the spot and seven took it back to their members. Nobody was against it. When people engage with it they say: "This is a good idea." It genuinely is a good idea. But we do need the support of the fans to make it work. At a small level, we could build up a small shareholding. But if we get larger numbers we will get the transparency the fans want. Has the ongoing financial uncertainty at Ibrox increased the interest in Rangers First? RM: I think it does increase enthusiasm for what we are doing. But I am keen for this not to be seen as a criticism of the board. I am not against them. I know they should not have spent the £22million that was raised at the IPO. But, as far as Rangers First is concerned, we are simply for the club. We are there to help the Rangers support. How many members do you hope to attract? RM: We would like to get to 20,000 to start with. Personally speaking, I think we can get 50,000. Now, I know people may laugh at that. But you had 200,000 at the Uefa Cup final in Manchester in 2008. You also have however many thousand abroad who are all desperate to help the club. I think we can have a worldwide membership of 50,000 within two years. How much does it cost fans to join Rangers First? RM: There are three boxes on the website - http://www.rangersfirst.org - you can join for £5 a month, £10 a month or £18.72 a month. There is also a life membership, Club 1872. That entails a £500 one-off payment. You get nothing out of it other than the satisfaction you have helped Rangers. Plus, as a member you get a vote. GM: If we can get 1,872 signing up for a life membership it will give us enough money to buy circa 5% of the club. Dave King has stated he is prepared to put money into Rangers "along with the fans". Could that funding come from Rangers First? GM: It could. Buying shares as individuals has not given us any dividend so far. Individual fans have roughly 12% of the shares. But we don't have anything to show for that. Buying as a collective, through Rangers First, would. RM: There is also a vehicle you can use. Say, for example, Laxey Partners were prepared to sell their 12% stake in the club, but Rangers First did not, at that time, have the money to buy it. We could say to them: "We will pay you for 4% a year." GM: We could provide them with a dividend and take the proxy for their shares and subsequently buy them a few years down the line. That is not something that necessarily is going to happen. But the CIC is flexible and you can do that. The other thing is we can approach the Rangers fans who currently own 12% of the club and ask them to proxy their votes to us. We would need to collect the signatures of the 4,500 fans who have shares before a general meeting. One of our committees is looking at shareholder engagement. Community ownership failed at St Mirren. How can it work at Rangers? GM: Amongst the clubs where this has been tried it has never been exactly the same. There are technical elements which are similar. St Mirren was a wholly-owned club. They had, for some reason, to buy 52% to make it work. They put in a legitimate bid and Stewart Gilmour, as was his perogative, decided not to accept it. There are successes. Dunfermline got over 1,000 members after they had already been saved. Hearts got over 8,000 fans paying in £15.50 a month. We want to achieve ACT at Rangers. The members will decide where we go from there. How optimistic are you about the future? GM: If this kind of vehicle had been about prior to administration I think it could have had a significant influence on the club. Maybe we wouldn't be in the position we are in now. Having said that, I think it will take off now. It may be a slow burner, but I think it will take off. Whoever puts money in can be assured that it will go towards the betterment of Rangers. I think we are getting there as a result of the meetings. We are starting to unite. Very few people want actual fan ownership. They want fan participation. What we are saying to the club is: "Be accountable to us." That is all we want, accountability. RM: We get nothing other than the satisfaction of helping Rangers and the Rangers community. I am not negative at all. I think Rangers are a sleeping giant. A good analogy would be they are a bear in hibernation. It is time the bear woke up. Get Rangers News Alerts by Email http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/it-is-time-to-unite-the-small-groups-and-waken-the-sleeping-giant-157872n.23841953

Supporting Rangers has never been quite so difficult. Doesn’t matter if it’s new beneficial club owners from one year to the next, executive directors that are replaced quarter by quarter or turgid on-the-field performances which would struggle to excite the most positive of football fans, it’s not easy to find a bear without a sore head nowadays. This headache soon becomes even worse when you try to examine the minefield that forms our supporter group landscape. Let’s go through them for clarity – take a deep breath: a) The Rangers Supporters Association – the oldest group which represent a range of RSCs all over the world. Nowadays, pretty small, perhaps old fashioned and primarily scoped to deal with ticketing issues you’ll nevertheless find their latest secretary Drew Roberton commenting in the media on a regular basis. b) The Rangers Supporters Trust – an independent group formed in 2003 mainly working towards fan ownership via share purchasing; the RST account for up to 2000 members. Their chair Gordon Dinnie is also often credited in the media on their behalf. c) NARSA and ORSA – two foreign associations which look after the interests of the North American and Oceanic RSCs respectively. It’s not often they’ll be quoted in the media but they do have lots of members with a fair amount of clout behind the scenes. NARSA especially have a solid historic relationship with the club. d) The Rangers Supporters Assembly – the original umbrella group which encompasses all of the above (and more) and was setup around ten years ago. Since then they’ve really struggled to capture the imagination of those they insist they represent (including season book holders). President Andy Kerr remains vocal in the media and usually aligned with a) and b) above. The future of the organisation within the club since the 2012 administration is unclear. e) Sons of Struth (SoS) – a more recent phenomenon is two fans that have been at the forefront of various protests against figures at the club. Most controversially, their spokesperson Craig Houston was threatened with legal action by club director Sandy Easdale for defamatory comments on a social network page. This has prompted much comment which we’ll explore further below. f) Union of Fans – even more recent is this new umbrella group which is made up of a), b), d), e) and the two Ibrox singing sections. Again, this group appear most concerned with the short-term future of club and their statements are geared towards this political aim. Spokesman Chris Graham is a keen blogger on the club and is featured regularly on two popular websites. g) Buy Rangers and Rangers First – not to be outdone, we now have two share vehicles specifically interested in achieving fan ownership via the purchase of shares as part of government backed schemes. The former is organised by the RST while the latter is a new development also promoted by Supporters Direct. At first glance both appear attractive to the interested supporter. h) Rangers Fans Fighting Fund (RFFF) – set up in 2012 this fund was put together to raise money for the club post-administration. Despite having Assembly and official club connotations, the Fund has been blighted by a lack of communication and transparency. Indeed, its website is no longer available and uncertainty remains with respect to the £500,000 surplus in its account. i) The Rest – as well as the TEN groups above, there are a variety of other clusters of fans which one may or may not perceive as ‘formal’ groups. These are often backed up with websites/blogs and can be made up of thousands of shared members; though usually these can be concentrated down into smaller lobbies of key opinion formers from group to group. It’s difficult to recognise all such bodies in a formal sense but there’s no doubting their contribution can be worthy. The above really is quite incredible when put down on paper – even with what I’d concede is a very superficial outline of each group. Quite simply, there’s no wonder confusion and division exists when we have so many groups all competing against each other. Despite regular assurances to the contrary (and so-called umbrella groups speaking for all), the chances of genuine fan unity and convincing representation remain as far away as ever. This is confirmed by the most recent issue which has caused further splits in the support. As touched on above, the Sons of Struth has been one of the most prominent groups of late. Despite only being made up of two individual supporters with no formal constitution, their stadium protests and media profile have resulted in much debate over recent months. Undoubtedly in my view their lobbying of Rangers and its support has contributed to the decision-making of the club hierarchy – even if I may also disagree with their methods and words from time to time. This is especially disappointing when using (or allowing) derogatory language to make their point. As someone who has experienced legal contact in such matters previously, there’s a fine line between fair criticism, unfair falsehoods and petty name-calling. Therefore, it was no surprise to see the main SoS figure Craig Houston served with a legal notice by Sandy Easdale to desist from such alleged behaviour or face a £200,000 court action. At this point the debate became polarised with those generally supportive of the SoS eager to source funds from the hitherto inactive RFFF to help Mr Houston in his defence against Mr Easdale. However, this suggestion seemed at best unlikely and at worst flawed given the RFFF monies were primarily setup to be used for the club only (despite some cash being used to pay small oldco debts such as Dunfermline Football Club in 2012). With that in mind, even those who had sympathy with the SoS predicament felt it was best a separate fund was setup should legal action go ahead. Hence, it was a great surprise to many bears when the RFFF subsequently voted to put the decision to a general vote of fans rather than immediately reject the suggestion. Despite this curiosity it could be argued this was perhaps the most reasonable course of action. After all, while many fans didn’t agree with this non-club appropriation of funds, what should happen if another more popular non-club opportunity arose: should it be declined automatically or debated by the fund contributors? Furthermore, the volunteer RFFF committee were put in place to act on our behalf so it’s difficult to argue with the democratic process being followed – even if the lack of clarity surrounding the decision (and RFFF work generally) is of valid concern. In any case, no matter our thoughts, the reaction has been furious from some quarters with one website and NARSA both calling for the resignation of those who voted for the issue to be decided via a ‘general meeting of fans’. Suffice to say the response to that has been equally negative with all sorts of insults permitted in some online communities. Once again the fan-base is split – often based on their website or group of choice rather than actually examining the issue without prejudice. Indeed it’s this kind of division that is now becoming very difficult to ignore when looking at most issues related to the club. Rather than such subjects being analysed with balance and in unison, we have some coming to most debates with a pre-determined opinion already in place. Quite simply if person/site/group A says one thing, you can be sure person/site/group B will say another and vice-versa. Such disagreement may actually be healthy in some respects but when it is increasingly accompanied by the kind of nonsense we usually see for those hostile to our club then such puerile debate just becomes counter-productive. Is it any wonder our club and fan-base have been taken advantage of in recent years when we can’t agree on the most basic of issues? Unfortunately, there’s no easy solution to this ongoing tribal warfare. Existing ‘umbrella’ groups have tried and failed for many years to capture the imagination of the widespread support while those not already interested in such ‘political’ matters won’t be swayed by a long list of fan organisations they may struggle to identify with. In addition, resignations, fall-outs and abuse appear to tarnish any good work such groups do. Meanwhile, a club fighting with itself on a month-to-month basis appears to have neither the will nor the way (not to mention the funds) to put in place a new scheme which can accommodate fans of every possible background. Yet, in my opinion, if such a group is to be successful, from the club it must come. It needs that formal official status, along with the backing of high-profile relevant figures, to take fan representation from social clubs and websites to the boardroom. However the only certainty is that when such a proposal does see the light of day, it may be strangled at birth by a minority of people who will always insist upon throwing out the baby with the bathwater for the most ridiculous of arguments. In the meantime, the moderate (and usually silent) majority can only hope for better. And until we concentrate ten bizarrely disparate groups into one then that day may be a long time coming. What part will you play in achieving that positive change: are you part of the problem or the solution? Will the real Rangers support please stand up?

Statement from NARSA regarding recent events involving the RFFF: "The RFFF voted today that in the event of litigation against Craig Houston, arising from content on the Sons Of Struth Facebook page, a proposal to provide financial support will be taken to a general meeting of fans." Below is the NARSA (North American Rangers Supporters Association) response to the above statement by the RFFF (Rangers Fans Fighting Fund) from Wednesday March 26, 2014. NARSA hereby demands that the seven members of the RFFF who voted in favor of the motion to support the above proposal resign their positions on the RFFF Committee by Friday, April 4th. NARSA feels these seven persons have failed in their duty to use the funds in the manner befitting the original purpose or in the best interests of Rangers FC and the RFFF. Should any of these seven individuals remain on the RFFF Committee by end of day Friday, April 4th, 2014, NARSA and its Member Clubs will demand the immediate return of all monies donated. In addition, we propose that, as NARSA raised and donated funds in excess of $80,000 USD, we have official representation on the RFFF Committee going forward. Our representative would be the sitting President of NARSA, by default.

Written by: Admin Saturday, 29th March 2014 It is with utter disbelief that once again our Club and it's support have been dragged into a series of incidents which has resulted in Vanguard Bears deciding to release a statement to outline where we stand with this RFFF mess. The recent legal action carried out by Sandy Easdale against Craig Houston is well documented, what has enraged the vast majority of donators to the RFFF is that certain factions, for reasons only they can explain, saw fit to first release their intentions on Mark Dingwall's FollowFollow forum, a forum which any supporter of any club can join and have a say, to put to a vote for acceptance of monies being taken from said fund to shore up Craig Houston's Legal Defence against Sandy Easdale, should this have made the courts. This action went against the vast majority of donators wishes, despite certain parties assuring everyone they spoke for the majority of the support. The RFFF was set up to fight our Club's corner against our detractors out there, of which there are many, sadly there are just as many from within the ranks of our support these days who are equally as damaging. Many put their hard earned cash into this fund in good faith, sadly thanks to certain individuals with nothing more than self-promotion and mischief on their minds have sought to put this at risk. The anger among the many donators has resonated around the globe, and no one can blame them for their anger thanks to this latest stunt. The seven committee members who voted to accept this should now find their positions in the RFFF untenable. If they had any dignity and feelings for the way in which their latest stunt has left the support enraged and suitably angered, they would resign with immediate effect. Knowing the background of some of them and their past antics, this would seem highly unlikely. It will now be down to the majority of enraged supporters who donated to the RFFF to demand their resignation, and with this in mind a decision must also be taken regards the next move to protect this money falling into the direction of self-promoters, with their own not-so-hidden agendas, to use as they see fit. It should be noted that the VB representative on this committee voted totally against any funds being utilised for anyone's legal defence funds against Sandy Easdale. We also vow to ensure that this cash will never fall into the hands of any self-appointed fans group leaders or hastily nailed together 'new age' fans groups either. We note also that Mark Dingwall in a recently released post on his own forum is once again imploring the support not to renew their season tickets for next season. We find this utterly astonishing that somone who relies on handouts from other supporters to attend matches - whenever he feels like turning up - should ask of many who hold season tickets, and have done so throughout their lives, to give up theirs so he can further destabilise our club and cause further harm to pursue his own and others agendas. VB once again will urge all of its members and beyond to ignore the rants of this troublemaker and self-promoter and to get fully behind the club in its time of need. Dingwall along with Chris Graham and other self-appointed and opinionated 'fans' speak only for a handful of rabble rousers and charlatans, we are sure the decent and vast majority of the Rangers support will see through their desperation to disrupt and destabilise our club and renew their season tickets when the time comes. This group of Charlatans will NEVER speak for the vast majority of our support, make no mistake about this. The Rangers Board now must act firmly and address those that would seek to harm both our Club's finances and reputation immediately, until that large boil is lanced and removed, the uncertainty and divisions will remain. http://www.vanguardbears.co.uk/statement-on-the-rfff-committee.html

It has been coming but could be official today if they lose against Hibs. What a game for them to lose. It will get the SPFL and SFA licking their lips at money maker with the only show in town v Hearts 4 times next season.

..........gets Rangers fans all fired up to renew Old Firm rivalries. IT was a terrific quote. Nauseating so far as its sentiment was concerned, but a marvellous sound-bite never the less. It was the one Dave King delivered about some Rangers fans who couldn’t, or wouldn’t, put shoes on their children’s feet because they wanted to use the money to buy their season ticket for Ibrox. This was portrayed as evidence of the extraordinary degree of passion some fans have exhibited for the club. It’s nothing of the kind. Putting football before your family’s needs is not and never will be a badge of honour. Indeed it is a source of everlasting shame and there shouldn’t be the slightest hint of dubiety about that. But Dave wasn’t indulging in some emotional flight of fantasy, dreamed up one night while he was lying on a sun lounger as dusk fell on his exotic garden and swimming pool in Johannesburg and thinking about his place of birth. These people really do exist. I was once abroad in the company of an old friend who had a long and illustrious career with Celtic. We had been covering one of the club’s European ties and having a post-match refreshment before turning in when he was accosted by a fan. One who proudly told him his children hadn’t had a holiday in any of the previous three years so that he could travel the continent to support his team. The supporter had managed to turn denial where his family was concerned into some kind of imagined virtue He may have expected the Hoops hero to offer heartfelt words of praise but it was all the ex-player could do to maintain self-restraint after the interloper had invaded his company to spout his ?nonsense. Here’s the thing, though. ?Rangers’ survival as a viable concern is essential to the future well-being of the game in this country. The written media have done their usual first-class job of turning Celtic’s latest title-winning exercise into more column inches than would have been devoted to the Second Coming. But the reality is we need, heaven help us, the return of the rivalry that brings out those whose distorted sense of family values is an affront to decency. That also means unleashing the younger element upon us as they represent another part of the baggage that comes with re-establishing the Old Firm. Rangers and Celtic will play an Under-20 league match at Murray Park on Tuesday afternoon. That’s because the number of police who would’ve been required to enforce security if the game had been played ?in public view would’ve been financially inadvisable in times of austerity. It would have been interesting for normal folk to monitor and contrast the clubs’ youth development set-ups. Particularly at a time when 17-year-old Liam Henderson is scoring in a match against Partick Thistle that confirmed Celtic as league champions. But the youngsters’ match would have been hijacked, as those in authority well know, by the flare throwers, the singers of questionable songs and the rest of the misfits who would leave a family audience in fear of their safety. The match would’ve become an irrelevance to both sets of fans while they hurled sectarian insults at each other. It was the business of using rivalry as a basis for thuggery that put King’s policeman father off football when Dave was growing up. But one day, and it’s not too far off now, we’re going to have to deal with a first-team Old Firm derby that troubles society at large while helping enhance the product known as the SPFL Premiership. King knew exactly the right button to press when he started his propaganda campaign to win control of Rangers by instilling the fear of Celtic winning Ten in a Row in the minds of his club’s fans. And that’ll prey on their minds longer than Rangers’ captain Lee McCulloch’s talk about next Sunday’s Ramsdens Cup Final being a “massive” game. The match with Raith Rovers is a by-product of a club fallen on hard times. Nothing more and nothing less. Only those who would contemplate denying the weans shoes to buy a season ticket will think otherwise. Now the Ibrox board have countered King by saying that fans will threaten Rangers’ viability as a going concern if they decide to withhold season-ticket money The fans are now trapped between two sides, each trading on their innermost fears. And gullibility. I was speaking to a fan on the radio the other night who told me Celtic qualifying for the Champions League group stages next season would be a greater achievement than winning the European Cup in 1967. It was breathtaking nonsense, and a moment to ponder whether some fans actually understand history. Celtic were the first British, not Scottish, winners of the competition. Idolising Neil Lennon's perfectly all right, but distorting the truth while tarnishing Jock Stein's memory isn't. Neil would surely be the first to agree. No-one's dismissing his achievements. But there must be a sense of perspective.

Read that the equivalent of McDowall and Durrant at Man Utd are on less than here? Pray tell me this is not true?

Genuine question because I think Dave King could get blamed for something he is not totally responsible for. I honestly believe, after speaking to hundreds of other fans, that they have had enough of the complete and utter dross being served up on the park. Nothing to do with boardroom stuff.

.....for the Premiership title in 2015-16 Ally McCoist last night declared that anything less than Rangers challenging for the Premiership title in season 2015-16 will be unacceptable. The Ibrox club will compete in the Championship next season having won back-to-back titles and are hot favourites to pave their way back to the big time with a third successive crown. However, the source of the club’s long-term financing remains shrouded in uncertainty, with would-be investor Dave King so far being kept at arms’ length by the board. King’s willingness to underwrite the £50million he believes is needed to compete with Celtic has chimed with a fan base who are behind his plan to only release season-ticket money to the board if certain conditions are met. McCoist yesterday expressed his hope that dialogue could yet see all parties arrive at a satisfactory solution. But, come what may, the Rangers manager refutes the notion that the aim of a first season back in the top flight could be consolidation. ‘No, it’s not an option,’ he stated. ‘We know it goes with the territory here, you are expected to win the vast majority of games and you’re expected to get promoted and get back in the top league as quickly as possible. ‘So far, these boxes are getting ticked although there have been one or two hiccups along the way, which we always said there would be.’ Asked if he intended building a team capable of challenging at the first time of asking, McCoist continued: ‘Yes, it’s important. We’ve never made up the numbers at all. No matter what league we’ve played in or where we’ve played, we’ve always believed we’ve had a chance of winning the competition and I don’t see any reason why that should change. ‘In fact, it shouldn’t change and it can’t change.' On Thursday, Rangers chairman David Somers issued a stern warning that the proposed season ticket stand-off could cause untold damage to the club. Speaking after the publication of the interim financial results, Somers said the withholding of money could risk the club’s ability to ‘continue as a going concern.’ McCoist has repeatedly taken a neutral stance in the ongoing spat between the board, King and the fans, but yesterday he admitted to having serious concerns about what Somers had said. ‘Of course that would worry me, as a supporter and as a manager,’ he added. ‘That would be a concern for everybody who has anything to do with the club. If the chairman feels that has to be said, it is probably an unpleasant reminder to everybody involved at the club that we have a long, long way to go.’ Notwithstanding the possible return of King to Ibrox, McCoist believes he and the board are on the same page as far as a shared vision for the future of the club is concerned. ‘I’ve said all along that we need investment to get back, there’s no doubt about that,’ he continued. ‘Graham (Wallace, the chief executive) and the board have said that, too, so it’s good that everybody feels like that and shares that opinion. ‘Where the investment comes from we will have to wait and see. ‘In the meantime, it’s good everybody agrees investment is needed. ‘For us to get back to where we want to eventually be, we will need investment. ‘We lost millions when we lost all those players. To get back to the standard of where we were, investment is needed.’ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2591972/McCoist-sights-set-challenging-Celtic-Premiership-title-2015-16.html

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/qa-rangers-chief-executive-graham-wallace-on-finances-the-review-and-the-clubs-future.1396009021 Can somebody copy and paste.

Didn't look good and does not make good reading either ... Sky Sports News ‏@SkySportsNews 32 Min. Hull expect goalkeeper Allan McGregor to miss the rest of the season with a kidney injury #SSN