Broken Promises - Why Do We Do It?

[Tannochsidebear 2,320]

You are missing a big point on what it means to be a Rangers supporter, and what Rangers Football Club is all about as well.

 

We are brought up on success. On great players. On entertaining football. On the right attitude. On being a Ranger.

 

We therefore love to see our current team play with the same style, flair, ability and passion of previous teams.

 

Unfortunately we have reached a time and a place where our club is being run into the ground. We are being downsized. We are being taught how to accept second best. We are being derided and abused from all quarters. We are being quietened.

 

In times such as these it is even more important that we remain vigilant, supportive, and carry our team through these dark ages to ensure that the club we come out of the post-Murray era is still one worthy of our traditions as set out above.

 

There are fans of other clubs who cannot even begin to realise why we moan so much, why we demand so much, why we hurt so much when coming only second. That is why they follow other clubs.

 

Let the others come after us, we welcome the chase.

[CammyF 6,885]

The product we are being served is dross compared to previous Rangers teams. The product has been stripped bare recently, and isn't the same product it was say a decade ago. Yet, we have to pay substantially more for this watered down product.

 

The feeling of being part of Rangers has also been removed. I have never felt more removed from the club as I do at the moment. I feel that I am attacked constantly in the media and portrayed as a sectarian bigot just because I support Rangers. The club allow and encourage this to happen.

 

Even in the dark and distant days of the early and mid 80's (where I paid �£10 for a Rover Season Ticket), whilst the product was poor you had a feeling that the good days were just around the corner. I no longer have this feeling. In fact, I have the opposite feeling, that things are only going to get worse.

 

When you supported Rangers in those days, even the dark times, you knew you were part of something special, something different and something that only you and your fellow fans shared. Again, this has been removed, and I know, it has been removed by the very success that we crave.

 

The well documented problems facing us travelling away from Ibrox domestically and in Europe take away any pleasure from what used to be great away trips. These used to be the highlight of my weekend. Now I can barely muster the energy and effort to drag myself along to the away games.

 

Rangers haven't mirrored the real Rangers for a long time and the eradication is almost complete. If it isn't this season, I feel the end of my attending Rangers games is close and get closer.

 

Cammy F

[Tannochsidebear 2,320]

I know exactly what you mean Cammy.

 

My main hope that I am clinging on to is that when Murray finally goes, the new owners have basically a sleeping giant again, and that by backing us and fighting back against the scummy mhedia lies and non-stories, that will transform itself into a far more positive feeling around the club, which in turn will lead to more positive signings, performances, everything.

 

That in turn will have the feelings of you and me and our fellow bears on a much more positive slant, resulting in better atmospheres at the games, which in turn leads to better perfromances from the players.

 

You can see how easily it can all change, it is a shame our current owner gave up caring a knighthood ago.

[CammyF 6,885]

I know exactly what you mean Cammy.

 

My main hope that I am clinging on to is that when Murray finally goes, the new owners have basically a sleeping giant again, and that by backing us and fighting back against the scummy mhedia lies and non-stories, that will transform itself into a far more positive feeling around the club, which in turn will lead to more positive signings, performances, everything.

 

That in turn will have the feelings of you and me and our fellow bears on a much more positive slant, resulting in better atmospheres at the games, which in turn leads to better perfromances from the players.

 

You can see how easily it can all change, it is a shame our current owner gave up caring a knighthood ago.

 

The only problem with this is that SDM has stated that he'll only sell to someone that HE believes is going to be good for Rangers. This is worrying as I don't believe that what SDM believes to be good for Rangers, is the same as what I believe is good for Rangers.

 

Will SDM sell to someone who publically states that they will reinstall the 'Rangers Ethos' and 'Rangers Traditions' when he's spent his entire time at Rangers eradicating those very ethos and traditions? Will he sell to someone who'll activelly try and bring back the ticket office, catering, merchindise etc into the club fold, thus denying SDM his cut from those organistaions that currently own / run these outlets?

 

Cammy F

[calscot 0]

The product we are being served is dross compared to previous Rangers teams. The product has been stripped bare recently, and isn't the same product it was say a decade ago.

 

I started supporting Rangers properly in the early eighties and I much prefer where we are today. We have had better teams but part of that was due to a much greater income in comparison to the rest of Europe than we have now, as well as factors such as English football being ruined by hooligans and their teams being banned from Europe, as well as horrendous overspending under Advocaat.

 

Teams before that again benefited from relatively higher income compared to the rest of Europe but at the same time having a much higher quality of Scottish player to choose from.

 

When you go before that, Scotland produced some of the best footballers in the world which seen any successful English team full of our ancestors.

 

There are many reasons to me for the quality of what we watch, but the facts show that we are at the same level of Celtic and way ahead of the rest. That is evidence towards environmental factors that affect the whole of Scotland, not just us. Finishing 4th or 5th every year shows a much different story. We are hardly under-performing compared with our peers.

 

Yet, we have to pay substantially more for this watered down product.

 

I don't think that has much to do with Rangers but more to do with inflationary pressures resulting from a boom in Europe which has resulted in huge amounts of TV money. As Rangers have hardly benefitted from this, they have to get income from somewhere. If you want Kilmarnock type prices you will get a proportionally lesser product.

 

In fact I would be willing to bet that we are paying relatively less for our tickets than in the history of our club. A ticket for Arsenal is far more than the Championship type prices of Rangers and I doubt the differential has ever been greater.

 

We're not paying anywhere near top dollar for our football so why are we expecting top football?

 

Rangers have a MUCH lower income than say Man U and don't have the artificial income of Chelsea, so how can we expect that level of product? You're talking about a time when Trevor Seven was the highest paid player in British football, but those days are long gone and it's not Rangers' fault. The top teams are paying about FIVE times as much as us and so how can you expect a similar standard for a fifth of the price?

 

To be honest, in today's market I think we're just about getting what we're paying for. The fact it's an expensive market compared to yesteryear is pretty much irrelevant.

 

 

The feeling of being part of Rangers has also been removed. I have never felt more removed from the club as I do at the moment. I feel that I am attacked constantly in the media and portrayed as a sectarian bigot just because I support Rangers. The club allow and encourage this to happen.

 

I think a huge part of that is Rangers fans reaping what they sow - most Rangers fans used to BE bigots, which was always something that made me feel removed from the club. We've had plenty of chances to find our own path to keeping our identity but have belligerently spurned them at every opportunity.

 

I think the only thing we have to complain about is the exaggeration and the fact Celtic are let off scot free for far worse bigotry.

 

We always needed to clean up our act to fit into a changing world but have resisted with all our might. I have no sentimentality for the "good old days" in the slightest. There was always too much shit sticking to anything of value in that part of our history.

 

Even in the dark and distant days of the early and mid 80's (where I paid �£10 for a Rover Season Ticket), whilst the product was poor you had a feeling that the good days were just around the corner. I no longer have this feeling. In fact, I have the opposite feeling, that things are only going to get worse.

 

That again is due to TV revenue more than anything. Scotland like all small countries is being marginalised as a football nation. Couple that with an obese generation who would rather play football manager on their computer than play the actual game and we're stuffed.

 

I can't see us ever being as bad in our own small pond as we were in 80's, so in that context, there isn't much of a corner to turn.

 

The well documented problems facing us travelling away from Ibrox domestically and in Europe take away any pleasure from what used to be great away trips. These used to be the highlight of my weekend. Now I can barely muster the energy and effort to drag myself along to the away games.

 

Again I think this has little to do with Rangers itself and probably more a society problem due to the reaction of the hooliganism of the past.

 

Rangers haven't mirrored the real Rangers for a long time and the eradication is almost complete. If it isn't this season, I feel the end of my attending Rangers games is close and get closer.

 

I don't quite see it that way, and when you look at supporting a team long term, it's hard to see what you are really looking for. Your team will never win all the time and things will change every year. The constant is that the name of team you support stays the same but little else. Owners, managers, players, supporters, leagues, stadiums, rules etc, etc all change as well as society and you have to either accept that or give up when you think everything was better in the past - which EVERYONE gets to at some point.

 

When looked at in the cold light of day supporting a team is a strange thing with women rightly pointing out it's a bunch of grown men kicking a bit of leather around.

 

Fans find something more in it which makes it a big part of their life but maybe there is a chance that any of us will wake up one day and the magic is gone. Maybe that time has come for you - but I don't really think the problem is specifically the club you support.

 

The club don't have there problems to seek and there is plenty wrong at boardroom level; however, in my opinion there is still plenty to cheer about when everything is put in context.

 

I'm still looking forward to the fight for the double, with the next OF game looking totally HUGE.

Edited April 17, 2009 by calscot

[johnnyk 158]

I have never been in doubt about renewing my ST, what else would I do if not attending Ibrox

 

I thought you liked shopping with yer missus and lassie

[CammyF 6,885]

It was only three years ago that we finished 3rd in the SPL, something that we hadn't 'achieved' since the days of Wallace and Greig. Inflation doesn't expalin why I'm paying �£400 pounds to watch SPL games. Supporters of Wigan can watch EPL games for as little as �£250.

 

Hibs have just announced that they are reducing their season ticket prices and these will cost the same as they did 3 years ago. Villarreal have just annouced free season tickets for every unemployed fan.

 

Our current financial problems aren't down to inflation, us fans not paying the going rate, but to gross missmanagement for the course of the last decade or so.

 

As for Rangers fans being bigots, well, there are bigots in every support in every country. There are bigots in the Tartan Army - doesn't stop the media portraying them as ambassadors for Scotland. There will be bigots on your golf course, or eating in the same resteraunt as you, or sitting next to you on public transport. The Rangers traditions that I and you hold dear have been eradicated by the Murray Regime. I am not talking about The Billy Boys here, I am talking about the Ethos and Traditions set by Mr Struth and others.

 

I feel removed from Rangers due to the self-loathing, surrender monkies who currently run Rangers and who unfortunately dominate our current fanbase. These surrender monkies have airbrushed the flag of Ulster from official publications and have banned The Dublin Loyal flag for having a legend that says 'Behind Enemy Lines' - a quote taken from an article published in praise of the Dublin Loyal in an Irish newspaper.

 

Cammy F

Edited April 17, 2009 by CammyF

[Super_Ally 0]

It was only three years ago that we finished 3rd in the SPL, something that we hadn't 'achieved' since the days of Wallace and Greig. Inflation doesn't expalin why I'm paying �£400 pounds to watch SPL games. Supporters of Wigan can watch EPL games for as little as �£250.

 

Hibs have just announced that they are reducing their season ticket prices and these will cost the same as they did 3 years ago. Villarreal have just annouced free season tickets for every unemployed fan.

 

Our current financial problems aren't down to inflation, us fans not paying the going rate, but to gross missmanagement for the course of the last decade or so.

 

As for Rangers fans being bigots, well, there are bigots in every support in every country. There are bigots in the Tartan Army - doesn't stop the media portraying them as ambassadors for Scotland. There will be bigots on your golf course, or eating in the same resteraunt as you, or sitting next to you on public transport. The Rangers traditions that I and you hold dear have been eradicated by the Murray Regime. I am not talking about The Billy Boys here, I am talking about the Ethos and Traditions set by Mr Struth and others.

 

I feel removed from Rangers due to the self-loathing, surrender monkies who currently run Rangers and who unfortunately dominate our current fanbase. These surrender monkies have airbrushed the flag of Ulster from official publications and have banned The Dublin Loyal flag for having a legend that says 'Behind Enemy Lines' - a quote taken from an article published in praise of the Dublin Loyal in an Irish newspaper.

 

Cammy F

 

To the first paragraph: Supply and demand.

 

And if you want to pay less, we make less profit. The team likely gets weaker and you complain that you're getting even less value for money. Vicious circle.

[CammyF 6,885]

To the first paragraph: Supply and demand.

 

And if you want to pay less, we make less profit. The team likely gets weaker and you complain that you're getting even less value for money. Vicious circle.

 

That is letting SDM off the hook tho surely? It is his duty to explore, exploit and generate income from OTHER sources. Why must the fans pay for his missmanagement?

 

Cammy F

[Super_Ally 0]

That is letting SDM off the hook tho surely? It is his duty to explore, exploit and generate income from OTHER sources. Why must the fans pay for his missmanagement?

 

Cammy F

 

Yes it's upto Murray to maximise revenue streams.

 

But you say you want to see better football on the one hand and want to pay less for it on the other hand. Surely you must see the two are unlikely to go hand in hand. Think it's a seperate point to Murray's mismanagement (although obviously the two can impact on each other).