Can Edgar make up his mind.

[ascender 352]

I have to say I'm wondering just what it would take for our fans to actually boycott the club and season tickets in any sort of reasonable number, whether through an organised protest or a more spontaneous show of their anger at the direction of the club?

[maineflyer 0]

I have to say I'm wondering just what it would take for our fans to actually boycott the club and season tickets in any sort of reasonable number, whether through an organised protest or a more spontaneous show of their anger at the direction of the club?

 

A damned good question and a source of enormous frustration. There's no doubt that the support has ultimate power and could force the club's hand on any issue you care to think of. I believe the support could have forced Murray out long ago. The support could have had a representative on the Ibrox board or even implemented the membership rights that have so exercised our debates in recent times. The support could have set the standard when it comes to the media and the club's detractors. You name it, we could have done it. But instead, we have chosen to do nothing.

 

Why then haven't we done so? Why do we leave in the hands of others any number of issues that we repeatedly claim to be important to us? What is it that creates the gulf between power and such a profound unwillingness to use it? The answer, I find, is not particularly palatable and makes me believe there is a deep-rooted and fundamental dishonesty underlying this club. How else can so many fans, possessed of such genuine love for the club, be so unwilling to lift a finger or risk an inconvenience for the betterment of that club?

 

If 20,000 ST holders had refused to renew, just once, the club would have been falling over themselves froever more to accommodate our views. Instead, they treat us like shite in our own stadium and allow every beggar and republican filth to walk all over us. We could - but we won't..... that's the real story of Rangers supporters today.

[Frankie 8,185]

I don't anyone denies an apathy exists in our support which seems extremely difficult to overcome when we want invoke changes. Even so, one can see that amongst shareholders at AGMs there does exist a reasonable number of active fans interested in the kind of 'political' off the field issues we often read about online. The Donald Muir issue also showed that such strong feeling isn't restricted to the internet and supporters can make their voice heard (even if that issue was always a losing one).

 

Unfortunately, there appear to be no obvious solutions for tapping into this offline percentage of fans to increase awareness of the club's future with regard to other issues which we feel should be changes. Moreover, the existing shareholding of SDM/Lloyds remains an ever bigger obstacle to enforce that change.

 

It's not a case of stamping our feet and getting what we want.

[maineflyer 0]

I don't anyone denies an apathy exists in our support which seems extremely difficult to overcome when we want invoke changes. Even so, one can see that amongst shareholders at AGMs there does exist a reasonable number of active fans interested in the kind of 'political' off the field issues we often read about online. The Donald Muir issue also showed that such strong feeling isn't restricted to the internet and supporters can make their voice heard (even if that issue was always a losing one).

 

Unfortunately, there appear to be no obvious solutions for tapping into this offline percentage of fans to increase awareness of the club's future with regard to other issues which we feel should be changes. Moreover, the existing shareholding of SDM/Lloyds remains an ever bigger obstacle to enforce that change.

 

It's not a case of stamping our feet and getting what we want.

 

That depends entirely on how many feet stamp and whether the stamping is followed by non-renewal of ST's.

 

As I've said for years, ST renewal is the single point of leverage that supporters have at their disposal. Only the willingness to use it is missing. Posturing on the periphery a la RST can be interesting but will never achieve anything. The fact remains that, collectively, we have the means in our hands but for whatever reason will not use it. No Rangers supporter who owns a season ticket can deny that he/she has it in their power to bring the club to heel..... or that the evidence shows they are unwilling to do so. It's not rocket science.

[Frankie 8,185]

Season ticket income is hugely important to the club so of course inferring tens of thousands of people won't renew could affect the decision-making from those who make them.

 

However it is also a very dangerous ploy which could makes things worse instead of better. Remove 20,000 x �£500 from our income then the savings have to come from elsewhere as SDM or Lloyds won't absorb the loss. Given we've still to see anyone step forward and say they will underwrite any debt we have in order to buy the club then that means we'd be in serious trouble.

 

That is probably why fans who are otherwise concerned and frustrated about certain issues wouldn't go as far as removing their financial commitment to the club.

[maineflyer 0]

Season ticket income is hugely important to the club so of course inferring tens of thousands of people won't renew could affect the decision-making from those who make them.

 

However it is also a very dangerous ploy which could makes things worse instead of better. Remove 20,000 x �£500 from our income then the savings have to come from elsewhere as SDM or Lloyds won't absorb the loss. Given we've still to see anyone step forward and say they will underwrite any debt we have in order to buy the club then that means we'd be in serious trouble.

 

That is probably why fans who are otherwise concerned and frustrated about certain issues wouldn't go as far as removing their financial commitment to the club.

 

It's a bit of a weak-kneed position to take then. Either people feel there is sufficient need to take action or they don't - if they don't then there's no case to answer - if they do (and Edgar seems to think there is) then get on with it. It's pointless saying that the reason for not applying pressure is that it might result in pressure being applied. Perhaps if we spent less time in wishy-washy, handwringing introspection, more might get done.

[Frankie 8,185]

When the club are topping the league and unbeaten against Celtic for over a year in the league, then the vast majority of fans are happy so any boycott will always be under-subscribed for it to have any genuine affect.

 

Add in constant smoke and mirrors (not just from SDM either) about the club's finances and a lack of leadership throughout the club and fanbase then it isn't any surprise that people are weak-kneed when it comes to the very future of the club.

 

How would you work a boycott where you remove the only constant income the club has in the absence of a buyer? The only leverage you're applying there is the rope to your own neck. IMHO of course...

 

Should the fans do more to invoke change? Yes. But there is a lot of room between ineffective hand-wringing and dangerous boycotts.

[ascender 352]

Should the fans do more to invoke change? Yes. But there is a lot of room between ineffective hand-wringing and dangerous boycotts.

 

Another problem with this, apart from the massive support SDM has amongst a large amount of our fans still, is that this sort of thing "isn't the Rangers way". That's always brought up on some other forums when organised protest is mentioned.

 

 

Mike.

[maineflyer 0]

There's nothing to be gained by complicating a very simple situation.

 

To exert enough pressure to make a difference, a sufficiently large number of fans need to refuse to renew ST's. There will only be such pressure if it actually does hurt the club, surely that's a given. So you can choose - short term gain for long term pain - or the converse. Like I said before, everyone has to make that choice for themselves.

 

But the real deal is that, having made the point and demonstrated a willingness to apply that pressure rather than just talk about it, everyone can go along and buy that precious season ticket. Because it's not about buying or not buying a ST, nor is it about starving the club of funds, it's about convincing an arrogant owner that he needs to take the support seriously.

[maineflyer 0]

Another problem with this, apart from the massive support SDM has amongst a large amount of our fans still, is that this sort of thing "isn't the Rangers way". That's always brought up on some other forums when organised protest is mentioned.

 

 

Mike.

 

You know, I've supported this club for nearly 50 years and I don't think I'd ever heard of "The Rangers Way" until about 5 years ago. Personally, I think this is an invention of convenience to suit certain agendas. I seem to remember standing in some very small crowds at Ibrox to evidence that Rangers fans have been very willing to vote with their feet in the past - maybe that was "the Rangers way" after all.