Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'supporter'.
-
RFC Maybe we can talk about this without any unecessary snyde remarks about the board?
-
According to the Sun website: Club bow to fan pressure over stadium RANGERS fans are set to record a victory in the battle to safeguard Ibrox. Sunsport understands that the under-fire club board are set to give fans’ groups assurances that the club’s home won’t be sold off. The agreement will only be a short-term fix — but the board are hopeful it will spur fans on to buying season tickets for the Championship. Only 17,000 have been sold as fans attempt to put cash pressure on the club. Around 3000 fans marched to Ibrox yesterday to voice their concerns about the running of the club. Ex-stars John Brown and Nacho Novo lent their support and Novo told the crowd: “This club means everything to me and you mean everything to me. “Thank you all for coming out and staying united as we try to safeguard the club we all love. “I’m from Spain but this is where my heart is and we have to stay together to make sure this place we love stays part of Rangers. “This is about every supporter who wants to see the club prosper. This is a special club and Ibrox is a special place.”
-
1300 words on a situation that is becoming more worrying and difficult to justify with every day that passes... http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/260-ally-mccoist-and-rangers-time-for-some-home-truths
-
THEY follow in the footsteps of their team. Now Rangers fans will retrace the steps of their most famous sons. The walk to Ibrox is a journey made on a regular basis by the Light Blue legions but on Saturday they will head for their Govan home for a very different reason. There will be no match to watch, no team to cheer as they assemble in front of the iconic red brick facade. Instead, their focus will be on the men who walk the corridors of power. The fight to secure the future of Ibrox has been a long one, with the Union of Fans at the forefront of discussions with the Rangers board in a bid to strike a deal. The assurances they seek are simple yet have proven hard to obtain from a hierarchy that has shut the door on the people that they need most and care most deeply about their club. Craig Houston and the Sons of Struth have been vocal and visual in their fight against the board in recent months and will again lead from the front as thousands of fans get set to march through Glasgow this weekend. "There are not many Rangers fans who say that securing Ibrox, and Murray Park, is not important to them," Houston told SportTimes. "We arrived on that site after a number of years of hard work by the founders of the club. "Rangers were a bit nomadic before that, playing at a number of venues across Glasgow, and the last part of that journey was going from Kinning Park to Ibrox. "People are seeing the importance of that journey. "The Gallant Pioneers worked hard to get Rangers their own stadium and now the fans must keep it in Rangers' hands. "The Sons of Struth are organising the event but it is not just for SoS supporters, it is for all fans, season ticket holders, non-season ticket holders, people who have renewed or haven't renewed. "I hope all fans' groups join us, like they have before, with their banners. I would love to see as many supporters clubs there with their crests." The walk to Ibrox is the latest demonstration held in an attempt to persuade the board to grant legal assurances that Rangers' historic home, and their Auchenhowie training base, will not be sold off in the midst of more financial uncertainty. A DEAL appeared to have been struck several weeks ago when representatives of the Union of Fans met with chief executive Graham Wallace and directors Sandy Easdale and Norman Crighton. But after those talks broke down in a wave of anger and hard-hitting statements, the issue remains unresolved as fans get set to take to the streets once again. Houston said: "There was a point before the end of the season where we felt we wouldn't need to do anything because we were in discussions with the board but those talks broke down in quite a calamitous fashion. "We could either sit on our hands over the summer or we could make our feelings known that we still want written assurances and that the issue was still important to us. "From an organisational point of view, this is the biggest event we have put together and I have been shocked and delighted with the feedback we have had and the number of people that have supported us." There may have been a temporary ceasefire in the war of words between both parties but the ill-feelings between those on the terraces and the men in the boardroom hasn't subsided in recent weeks. Another round of talks would appear to be the next step in this long-running saga if the fans' fears are going to be allayed and Houston insists the Light Blue legions won't shut the door on the under-fire board. He said: "The Union of Fans had discussions with the board to try and secure Ibrox before the season ticket deadline but the way those talks broke down left a sour taste in the mouth. "There was no contact with us, just a public statement a few days later after an agreement was reached in the room. We felt we had assurances over Ibrox and the only grey area surrounded Murray Park. "The members of the UoF all left that meeting with the same impression and we were promised that there would be a board meeting the following day and we would be notified of the outcome. "If it was agreeable to three board members on a board of five, it should have been the easiest meeting they have had. "They have changed their minds, or someone has changed their mind for them. "There was no reply to the UoF but we have never shut the door on the club and there is still time this week to further discuss matters." The failure of the board to grant assurances over Ibrox and Murray Park is just one of factors behind the decision of tens of thousands of fans to opt against renewing their season tickets this summer. Only 17,000 briefs for the Championship season had been shifted when the Gers hierarchy issued a sales update last month as fans wait to be won over by the latest ensemble of men in suits at the top of the marble staircase. Houston said: "If the board can prove themselves to be more trustworthy, honest and open than they have until now, that would give people reasons to go and buy tickets. "The ones who haven't so far are not solely supportive of the UoF, there are fans that haven't renewed for a variety of reasons. "It is not a battle between those who support the board and don't and those who have renewed and haven't. That is nonsense. "The are over 17,000 season tickets sold just now but I think you would be hard pushed to find more than a handful who would stand in public and say they support the board." http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-fans-in-march-to-ibrox-171037n.24749585
-
Are we getting a new home kit this season
-
Become a member Sons of Struth was formed out of frustration that we felt no one spoke for us and we wanted a voice. We certainly found one. If it was not for the thousands that joined our protests then our voice would not have been heard. We now want to give those who helped us be heard a platform and to be involved in shaping the future of SoS As a member of SoS you will receive updates on future activities be invited to put forward ideas for future activities be polled on concerns we may have for our club and on future activities have access to a members only forum have a say in the future of the group be part of the most active group of fans in the last 12 months Membership is FREE http://www.sonsofstruth.co.uk/join-sos.html
-
Regulatory Story Company Rangers Int. Football Club PLC TIDM RFC Headline Statement re: Annual results Released 16:55 07-Jul-2014 Number 6537L16 RNS Number : 6537L Rangers Int. Football Club PLC 07 July 2014 Rangers International Football Club plc ("Rangers" the "Club" or the "Company") Statement re: Annual results for the 13 month period ended 30 June 2013 The Directors confirm that following the issue of shares announced on 1 July 2014 pursuant to the exercise of options by a former Director, there are now no outstanding share options or convertible shares held within the Group. The Directors note that Note 30 to the accounts for the 13 month period ended 30 June 2013 was incorrect to the extent that the options to which the share announcement on 1 July 2014 relate were not included. For further information please contact: Rangers International Football Club plc Graham Wallace Tel: 0141 580 8647 Daniel Stewart & Company plc Tel: 020 7776 6550 Paul Shackleton / David Coffman Newgate Threadneedle Tel: 020 7148 6143 Graham Herring / Roddy Watt / John Coles This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange END STRUGUCAMUPCGAM London Stock Exchange plc is not responsible for and does not check content on this Website. Website users are responsible for checking content. Any news item (including any prospectus) which is addressed solely to the persons and countries specified therein should not be relied upon other than by such persons and/or outside the specified countries. Terms and conditions, including restrictions on use and distribution apply. ©2009 London Stock Exchange plc. All rights reserved http://m.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/mobile/news/detail.html?announcementId=12008964
-
Looking forward to reading and reviewing this book in the coming few weeks: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Born-Under-Union-Flag-Bissett/dp/1910021121/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404410171&sr=1-1-fkmr0&keywords=Born+Under+a+Union+Flag%3A+Rangers%2C+Britain+and+Scottish+Independence I know Ally and Alan (and the other contributors) have worked hard on this so it should be an interesting read and useful accompaniment to the Referendum debate. -
Will our intrepid reporter from the North Forlansister be present tonight ?
-
I see they have a new sponsor as well!! http://spfl.co.uk/news/article/petrofac-training-cup-draw-today/ The draw for the first round of the Petrofac Training Cup takes place at Hibernian’s Easter Road Stadium at 2pm today. The first (and second) round of the competition is split on a regional basis, with first-round ties scheduled for the weekend of July 26. The 30 Scottish Championship, League 1 and League 2 clubs are joined in the first-round draw by Highland League champions Brora Rangers and Lowland League winners Spartans. North Section 1 Alloa Athletic 2 Arbroath 3 Brechin City 4 Brora Rangers 5 Cowdenbeath 6 Dunfermline Athletic 7 East Fife 8 East Stirlingshire 9 Elgin City 10 Falkirk 11 Forfar Athletic 12 Montrose 13 Peterhead 14 Raith Rovers 15 Stenhousemuir 16 Stirling Albion South Section 17 Airdrieonians 18 Albion Rovers 19 Annan Athletic 20 Ayr United 21 Berwick Rangers 22 Clyde 23 Dumbarton 24 Heart of Midlothian 25 Hibernian 26 Livingston 27 Morton 28 Queen of the South 29 Queen’s Park 30 Rangers 31 Spartans 32 Stranraer Petrofac Training Cup 2014/15 First round – July 26, 2014 Second round – August 19/20, 2014 Quarter-finals – September 6, 2014 Semi-finals – October 12, 2014 Final – April 5, 2015 Read more at http://spfl.co.uk/news/article/petrofac-training-cup-draw-today/#QdwPxpjdsvzyLT6M.99
-
RANGERS have experienced a flurry of late season ticket sales since striker Kris Boyd made his emotional return to Ibrox last week. Boyd ended weeks of speculation when he signed a one-year deal with the SPFL League One champions - and is set to team up again with Kenny Miller. And his capture has since led to a surge in Light Blue supporters signing up to watch Ally McCoist's side in the 2014/15 season. The ticket office at Ibrox at the weekend was queued out of the door for long spells as fans snapped up season books for the new campaign. Lifelong fan Alan Anderson, from Cambuslang, was taken aback at the level of interest when he renewed his ticket at Ibrox on Saturday. He told SportTimes: "I was told the season ticket office was going to be open until after two o'clock and popped down half an hour before it shut. "But when I got there there were a lot of cars in the car park and people were queueing out of the door. "There was a great atmosphere among the supporters who were waiting to buy tickets. "I think most of them were, like me, buying season tickets because Kris Boyd has signed. "But people were genuinely excited about the season ahead and the prospect of playing teams like Hearts and Hibs. "I wasn't going to renew my season ticket, but I decided to do so when I saw that Boyd had signed. "I think a lot of people were the same as me. "I don't necessarily like who is in charge at Rangers at the moment, but I am, as the slogan goes, prepared to support the team and not the regime." Rangers announced to the Stock Exchange a fortnight ago that "approximately 17,000" season tickets had been bought by fans this summer. That is in stark contrast to the 34,000 supporters who made the Gers one of the best backed clubs in Britain for the second stage of "The Journey". The Union of Fans - an umbrella group comprising six supporters organisations - has been urging fans not to renew their season tickets. The UoF and former director Dave King set up Ibrox 1972 Ltd in the close season and urged supporters to pledge their money to it instead. They want Rangers to give them security over the stadium and the training ground at Auchenhowie in return for the cash. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-revel-in-boyd-ticket-bounty-169185n.24618366
-
Anybody at this tonight ?
-
The Scottish FA President, Campbell Ogilvie, has paid tribute to “astute, forward-thinking and passionate” former Chief Executive, David Taylor, who died today, age 60. European football's governing body UEFA - for whom David worked with distinction as General Secretary and, more recently, Executive Director - confirmed the sad news after the 60-year-old had taken ill. A Scotland supporter since childhood, David became the first Chief Executive of the Scottish FA in 1999, succeeding the long-serving secretary, Jim Farry. “On behalf of his friends and former colleagues at the Scottish FA, and throughout Scottish football in general, I would to express our profound sadness at the tragic news of David’s death," said the President. “I would also wish to send our deepest condolences to his wife Cathy, and their children James and Alan, at this dreadful time. “David was a solicitor to trade but it was his love of Scottish football and, in particular, the Scotland national team that stirred his passion during his tenure as Chief Executive. “He was great company, had an astute business mind and a forward-thinking approach to the game that, allied to his patriotism as a member of the Scotland Supporters Club, helped take the Scottish FA forward administratively. “It was no surprise to any of us who witnessed his work at close hand when UEFA came calling for his services as General Secretary in 2007. He has remained a friend and supporter of the Scottish FA and the game in general in this country and he will be dearly missed by all of us.” Born in Forfar in 1954, David was educated at Dundee High School before graduating from Edinburgh University with an LLB degree in law. He qualified as a Solicitor and practised until 1985, during which time he added to his legal qualifications with an MSc in Economics, and an MBA. He joined the Scottish Development Agency (now Scottish Enterprise) in 1985, and held a succession of senior positions before being appointed the first Director of Scottish Trade International - a body set up to promote Scottish business overseas - prior to his appointment to the Scottish FA. http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/scottish_fa_news.cfm?page=2986&newsID=13456&newsCategoryID=1
-
.............and far-right symbols in European football. http://www.farenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Signs-and-Symbols_web_single-pages_reduced.pdf -
All over twitter this evening.
-
Here is my plan complete with gaping holes for a velvet rangers revolution. I believe currently the rangers support is too fragmented to be effective in achieving fan ownership in 2014, and efforts should be turned to season 2015-2016 by the end of the year if 'angel investors' have failed to remove the current board. Goal - To create a consensus within the rangers support and eliminate economic uncertainty. To buy the club for fan ownership. To rebuild Rangers as a global player Method - Conference to create united body Use fans' season ticket money to buy shares This is Plan Z - it assumes that any investor angels with normal sized hands predictably as usual have failed to walk the walk, and the support are totally on their own with no outside assistance. I think fan ownership could be achieved by dangling this carrot in front of the 17,000 - from 2015 to 2016, a season ticket will entitle the purchaser to a full share in Rangers, and run for 3 years. I would expect around 100,000 tickets at £500= £50 million. I would invite the permanently disappointing millionaires to invest, up to £50 million, and offer a seat on the board for such investment, (and most importantly for their contacts and business acumen) but weight supporter owned shares 2:1 over investor shares. So to recap £100,000,000 investment inwards in 3 years, but with season ticket revenue being used to buy out ****s, and with supporters owning 66.66% of club. If the ****s won't sell, then they must be made aware that any plans they have for Ibrox RE sale leaseback, will not be acceptable. They must be made aware that rangers are willing to move to Hampden and possibly rebuild it with the SFA, if the conditions for Ibrox are not right. If this happens and the ****s sell Ibrox to property developers, they must be made aware that there will be continual harassment and civil disobedience on the site of Ibrox with the sole purpose of reducing the value and profit of the site. Any investors who refuse to sell at fair market value must be made aware that there will be a price to pay for this, and offices in London etc will be no protection from picketing supporters and economic pressure exerted form any avenue possible. There should be however, no ned behaviour like the hounding of BBC reporters, smashing windows at Pacific Quay for example. This needs perfect PR. And no neds. Pre conference 1- Decide on chairman and decide on speakers. You'll need a couple of keynote speakers speaking for half an hour each, and say, 20 speakers speaking for 2 minutes each. The speakers must be representative of the support and include representatives for season ticket holders, supporters clubs and busses, international supporter clubs, websites (of which Gersnet must be one), and board members of the club, if they want to put their point of view across. 2- Decide on format - At start, conference should recap how rangers came to be an omnishambles, and why it is an omnishambles. After this, a keynote address laying out the options for the supporters, and how the conference will progress through the day. Then move onto numerous quick addresses from supporters' representatives, outlining the views of the support. 3- Lunch, then voting. Conference 1- Hire the SECC or EICC. 2- Book a full AV package including projectors, screen, and digital voting system 3- Have prepared motions for conference. These will include: a) Do you agree that today we create one organisation who's authority to speak for all supporters will be granted on achieving 50%+ majority, and the results of any majority votes will be respected and adhered to by the minority? YES/NO b) Do you agree the supporters are the club, and we should own the club? YES/NO c) Do you agree to offer to buy the shares of the current incumbents at fair market value? YES/NO d) If they do not sell out their shares, do you agree to take a course of action which will potentially liquidate the 'company'? YES/NO e) Are you prepared to start again in Division 2 if necessary? YES/NO Vote on all of these and your own crafted (no pun intended) questions. Appoint a permanent 'manager' for your new organisation. he must be of outstanding flawless character, liquid, and without any legal impediments. Appoint a PR person untainted by Scottish nonsense. Try England for a robust PR professional. An attractive woman would be my sexist standpoint here, not some fat guy from Dennistoun. I don't know how to finance PR people, permanent positions, hiring SECC etc - maybe DK could help. Give your angel investors until November1st to provide a viable roadmap to fan ownership. After this it is closed to them and they must come through the fan's organisation in the future. Book SECC/EICC for Jan 31st. 2015. The results must be made available via a press release, and the current shareholder left in NO DOUBT, the consequences of their (in)actions. Note - fair market value should be just above the asset value. The current board will try to manipulate the share price to gain a better position. -
http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/250-dave-king-the-grand-old-duke-of-york
-
I believe the SPFL Championship fixtures for season 2014-15 will be released tomorrow. This gives the forum an opportunity for some harmless, and ultimately useless speculation. Who will we face on opening day? I assume we will be at home, allowed to unfurl our Division one championship flag on a sun-drenched, thrumming Ibrox? I suspect we will be paired with Raith Rovers. Foghorn Turnbull will be blowing, Ramsdens memories to the fore, and endless re-runs of Baird's goal in the build-up. Oh, and BBC Scotland's Rover-in-chief, Scot Davie will interview Val McDairmid, before she guests on the Cowan and Cosgrove hatefest. Raith Rovers it is, and we will replicate the score the first time I witnessed Raith at Ibrox in the late sixties, 10(ten)-2 to the Bears.
-
After a successful meeting with Glasgow City Council and Police Scotland today it would appear that subject to a few little details our application for a procession to Ibrox on the 19th July will be passed as acceptable. We will require the following volunteers from within the support to fulfil some council requirements. - Experianced marshals - Volunteer marshals - First aiders - Expectant numbers. I would love to hear from pipe or accordion band with a repertoire of Rangers songs In their play book. If you can help with any of the above or will be in attendance can you please let me know on this post or via PM Thanks Craig SoS https://www.facebook.com/SonsOfStrut...al_comments=14 L
-
The board of Rangers (the “Board”) can confirm that approximately 17,000 season tickets have been renewed to date for the Club's forthcoming SPFL Championship season. This level of renewals reduces the potential requirement for short term financing as highlighted in the Business Review Summary published on 25 April 2014 particularly given the updated season ticket pricing structure for the 2014/15 campaign. Applications for new season ticket purchases opened on Monday and sales of season tickets are continuing. The Club very much looks forward to welcoming more supporters back to Ibrox for what promises to be an exciting league competition. The Board believes that whilst this level of support reduces the potential requirement for short-term financing the Board also notes the strategic objectives that it identified in the Business Review Summary published on 25 April 2014 and the related funding requirements. The Board continues to evaluate its plans in this regard and will update the market in due course. http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7059-season-ticket-sales
-
This will be more readable for those having problems with the image. "We are extremely concerned that there are now two distinctly different messages being sent out from Ibrox, which appear to be completely at odds with each other regarding our club’s finances. They show the split in the boardroom and raise the question as to who is running Rangers. On the one hand, Graham Wallace has clearly stated that there is no financial crisis, while on the other hand a former PR man for Rangers and Sandy Easdale is briefing that there is a cash crisis which can only be resolved by an urgent share issue. We are aware that the press and certain bloggers are being briefed by Jack Irvine of Mediahouse regarding the reason for, and content of, Rangers board and investor meetings. We would ask two questions. On whose behalf is he making these briefings and how he is privy to the highly confidential and price sensitive information being discussed in these meetings? Mr Irvine was previously employed by both Rangers and the Easdale brothers. We were informed by Mr Wallace in our meeting with him that Irvine no longer works for the club. In the same meeting, Mr Easdale denied that Mr Irvine has ever worked for him during the Easdale’s time at Rangers. Events would appear to prove this to be untrue for, unless he has taken up charity work, someone appears to be paying Mr Irvine to leak stories about Rangers board meetings. We would ask that Graham Wallace fulfils his legal and corporate responsibility to identify the source of the leak and remove them from either the PLC or club board, as necessary, as a matter of urgency. Mr Wallace has stated twice, both in our meeting with him and more recently at the NARSA convention, that the club is on a secure footing. He stated that there is “absolutely no prospect of administration” and that the club “is in its healthiest state financially” since he arrived. Why then are board meetings taking place for an emergency share issue? Why has the club had to take loans just to finish the season? Why have these loans not been repaid despite season ticket sales which we believe to be around 16k and which would surely have raised the £1.5m required to immediately repay the loans? The message sent out by Mr Wallace appears to be at odds with that of Sandy Easdale, who has claimed that club finances were “fragile”, and Mr Irvine, who is briefing on behalf of someone that emergency cash must be raised. Who are the Rangers fans to believe? Who wields the real power in the boardroom? If it is Mr Easdale then who is he taking his instructions from given his refusal to name the people behind Blue Pitch and Margarita, whom he represents? If the board are indeed considering such a move, then will the shares be offered to all shareholders or just those represented by the current board? Also why are they so reluctant, if finance is required, to speak to investors who actually care about the long term future of the club? We have asked for Graham Wallace to come clean about the cash situation at Rangers and we repeat that request. Mr Wallace must make a statement to clarify his position and to explain the leaks of the last few days. The appearance is that Mr Wallace’s authority is being undermined from within. His long term, professional reputation for corporate responsibility is being eroded and the corporate governance of the club’s various boards is once again a shambles. The bottom line is very simply the question of who is running Rangers. Is it extremely well paid chief executive, Graham Wallace, or Sandy Easdale, a man who, for whatever reason, is not even a member of the plc board?"
-
GRAHAM WALLACE believes Rangers are now moving closer to the successful establishment of their first fan board as the club activates in its biggest supporter engagement initiative. The Ibrox chief executive will tonight return to the UK from Toronto, where he has spent a couple of days talking to Light Blues followers at the 2014 NARSA convention. More than 1,000 of them have been in attendance and Wallace feels it has been important to reach out to them as he seeks to build bridges and create a better, sustainable future at Gers. He addressed around 900 attendees at the gathering’s Grand Banquet yesterday and hopes his visit there can help develop a stronger relationship going forward. Wallace said: “We have recognised right from day one we had a big job to do in terms of trying to improve engagement with the club’s fans. “Several months ago we launched our Ready To Listen fan engagement survey and that was really just the first step. “We’ve now gone through another two subsequent steps in terms of narrowing down areas of interest to the fans so we can fully understand what matters to them. “We are currently moving into the third phase which is a set of detailed focus groups that involve people sitting round the table and looking at specific issues. “It’s all designed to move us forward to the creation of our first Rangers fan board, which will be an official board that will act as the body to represent the fans with the club. “We’re looking at the constitution and composition of that because we want to get a wide spread of Rangers fans engaged in talking to the club. “Like anything else, these things take time to work their way through and particularly at a level where what we’re dealing with is not just a simple scenario. “There are many issues dear to Rangers fans’ hearts. We’re trying to engage with them in a way they’ll say they can see progress and I think we have made a number of steps forward.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headli...edging-closer? There must be fans who actually swallow this bullshit.
-
GRAHAM WALLACE says Rangers now has a solid base from which it can move forward with confidence as it looks to grow, prosper and thrive more as time goes on. Wallace has spent the weekend in Toronto at the 2014 NARSA convention, where over 1,000 Light Blues fans have been in attendance. The chief executive took questions in an open forum yesterday afternoon following the association’s annual general meeting. A number of issues were raised with him and Wallace is keen to reassure Gers followers a path to a brighter future lies ahead. He said: “It has been interesting talking to a different cross-section of fans in Toronto as it was an opportunity to hear at a really detailed level about some of the issues they have. “Almost since the day I came to Rangers, we’ve been operating in an environment where there have been consistent questions about the financial stability of the club. “I’ve repeatedly come out and said there’s no threat of administration and we’ve built a very solid base now which we’re moving forward from. “The fans should take reassurance and comfort from that. We are moving in a way that allows us to grow and develop the business. “The long-term financial stability of the business is well in hand and we are in a good place now. Fans should be confident and comfortable with the club’s long-term stability. “The club needs them to survive like any business does and we are absolutely hoping they will stand behind and support the club the way they have in recent seasons. “In the vast majority of areas, I think we are moving in the right direction and it is business as usual at the football club. “The fans are looking for a degree of confidence that their club is stable, it’s being properly run and we are in a good position financially. “We are now in our best position financially in my time at the club so that’s positive and we are placed very well for the start of the forthcoming Championship campaign.” Wallace admits there is still considerable work to be done as Rangers bid to make up for what he feels has been a missed opportunity to rebuild in a better way since administration in 2012. But he is sure a lot key moves have now been made which will allow the League One title winners to make more notable strides from now on. He added: “I’ve been in position now for a little over six months and in that time it has been extremely challenging. “There have been so many legacy issues we have had to deal with and we spent a considerable period of time looking at the condition and the state of the business. “We had to map out what we think the club and the business is capable of doing over the next several years. “We have done a tremendous amount of groundwork and we’ve addressed a significant number of issues. “In April, we published our business review. That gave fans a sense of what we inherited but more importantly, a sense of the vision of where we think we can take the business. “We have made significant strides but it’s not an overnight journey and what we are looking for now is to move forward again. “We want to go through our pre-season routine into the new season and really push on, starting to make a huge difference in the areas we’ve identified.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7029-a-base-to-grow-from
-
I posted this in the footie section, but thought it would be better in here?,admin can delete if they think different. COUNTY chairman MacGregor is leading the way in re-engaging with Scottish football fans by making his club's relationship with their supporters a priority. HE owns and runs a business worth half a billion pounds a year and a community football club worth its weight in gold. In the fragmented new landscape of Scottish football, strewn with the detritus of mismanagement, Roy MacGregor should be a guiding light. A man who believes in customer and fan first, everything else a distant second. Who invests in the people of Dingwall and Inverness and reaps the rewards. Who lives within his means despite their limitations. Two hundred miles away from the game’s traditional epicentre, though, his voice remains relatively unheard. A whisper of common sense drowned out by the eternal bickering of the incompetent. As the chairman of both Ross County and the Global Energy Group he doesn’t take it personally. He has enough on his plate. That doesn’t mean what he has to say isn’t worth hearing, though. So when a man of his substance tells you a Scottish game which sees three of its biggest clubs languishing outside the top tier is ripe for reinvention, for re-engagement, someone in the hierarchy should be asking him not why but how. “Scottish football is still getting an awakening,” said MacGregor. “It’s not so much the sport – I see fledgling shoots all over the place, with young players getting an opportunity but the game is still unable to enthuse the broadcasters and the public. “I see it in all areas of our game that we have forgotten either our brand or our customer. “Clubs have to examine their customer, their fan. If you take your eye off that you have questions to answer. It comes back to boards of directors understanding fans. “Clubs have forgotten their fans and in any business you do that at your peril. “It’s not finance. Nothing to do with it. Hibs’ budget was five times mine – it’s about your relationship with your customer. “Football clubs used to have really good relationships but they took it for granted. Now we need to reinvent it – and everything negative that’s happening can have a positive outcome but only if boards and fans groups get their eye back on the right values. “Hearts have done it, Hibs are doing it as we speak. Rangers still have to find whatever it is they’re looking for. Their directors don’t have their eye on their fans.” As we talk in his Inverness HQ MacGregor has spent the morning at his club’s ground, throwing ideas at his admin staff on how to improve the matchday experience for their fans, and, uniquely, the away support as well. He talks free pies, free transport, entertainment, value for kids – anything that is the opposite of standing still. He knows half the ideas might not fly but it won’t stop him stretching his people to try. He sighed: “We don’t market the game in this country. The league body should be 90 per cent PR and marketing and 10 per cent rules and administration – we’re the other way round. “Yet I look at what Man City are doing around their stadium and I want to do it. You’re not just going to a game. You’re going to the Man City Experience. You’re there from lunchtime, eating, drinking, being entertained, engaging with the community around the club. “Today’s pay-as-you-go generation have choices to make. The people are still there, just in a different culture. When we first came in the league we went down to Morton – I’d never been there before and the ground had held 35,000 people at one point. “And you look out and see the shipyards and decay and you imagine the people who worked there and went for a pie and a pint and then went to the football. “Yet there were only 1200 people there that day. “If you fight your fanbase like, say, Rangers are doing, your club will never be right. It’s a dysfunctional relationship. The hierarchy in football is changing for the better but it’s the clubs who need to change. Get real with where they are with their fans, with their stakeholders, with the Press. “I see it happening because of finance but it needs to be in your soul. “I’m here with Ross County because I believe in an area which didn’t get an opportunity in a football sense, a talent sense or a business sense to express themselves as part of the UK or Scotland. “My role is to give people opportunity. I do it with my business and with my football club. And we don’t live beyond our means.” MacGregor is rightly proud of his club finishing fifth then seventh in their first two seasons of top-flight football, less than 20 years on from becoming a senior club and on one of the smallest budgets and fanbases in the country. But you’ll never catch him thinking they’ve become something they’re not. He said: “What’s success for us? To stay in the top division and do well in a Cup. Anything beyond that is aspirational. “Plug your club into that aspiration. Don’t think you can be a top-six club. It’s not possible. It’s a bonus and you have to be exceptional to do it. “So just be real and don’t let your supporters get expectations beyond reality. The biggest thing is for the fans to believe you can be better than what you are. You always try to outperform what you are and the fans will come with you.” MacGregor also refuses to fall into the trap many wealthy football benefactors have. He’s watched Stewart Milne and David Murray make decisions in the game they’d never in a million years have made in business but he said: “I find the discipline of it easy because I worry, if I get expectation beyond reality, I’ll let my community down. “I go through the wringer the same as every other fan. I’ve been watching my team since 1966 but I’m not on an ego trip. “I’m in it for an area which has two Premiership teams and is being recognised at last that it’s part of the framework of Scotland.” Yet not so much part of the framework that he’s ever held office in a game you’d think would be crying out for its best business minds to participate. “I’ve never been asked,” he deadpans. “But then this part of the world is still trying to come to terms with being part of football and being accepted. “We’ve never been accepted as part of the football hierarchy and it’s 20 years on. I’m not complaining. We’re 200 miles away from the mass of football supposedly but this season we’re playing five teams who are nearly home games for us, all north of the Tay. “So it HAS changed. Where the heartland of football was has been rocked. “It’s getting better though. We’ve had some revolution in the SFA, we have the leagues together again and I believe the structure is better. “But selling the game is still a difficult job, especially with three of our biggest clubs out of the top division. “So you need to sell the brand on 42 clubs, not 12, and you need to sell it on the whole nation. You need someone who buys into that. “It’s difficult because we have a devolution debate – are UK wide companies wanting to get into that debate by getting into football? “You have issues with tarnished goods – clubs who can’t manage themselves. That effect is still there. The product is not good. But there’s a lot more sense being talked and it’s out of necessity. Setbacks are opportunities. “The SPFL will have to adjust their TV policy, for example, and if that’s what the fan wants? You’ll have to give them Hearts v Rangers not St Johnstone v Ross County. “Do what the customer wants.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/f...gregor-3632540
-
A Celtic fan who posted racist comments online about two former Rangers players has been jailed for 12 months. Declan McCuish, 23, admitted posting "abusive and threatening comments" to Sone Aluko and in relation to El Hadji Diouf on 2 and 3 February last year. Following complaints, police raided his home in Glasgow. McCuish also admitted possessing cannabis and phenazepam. Glasgow Sheriff Court heard McCuish was disgusted by his behaviour and accepted responsibility for what he had done. Passing a total sentence of 12 months, sheriff Andrew Cubie branded the tweets "vile and racist" and noted that his Twitter name 1888-dec-1888, was linked to Celtic. He told McCuish, originally from Ibrox, now from Paisley, that he was part of a "small and dwindling group" that want to "cherish this kind of hatred". The sheriff added that these comments had "no place in 21st Century Scotland". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-27638800
