Jump to content

 

 

Recommended Posts

Last week the club sent out the season ticket renewal letters for season 2010/2011 - both by traditional post and by email. With a 53rd SPL title within reach and prices frozen for next year, surely everyone will be sending their payment back asap to ensure their seat at Ibrox! After all, the following promise in the letter will allay any fears we may have...

 

To fully realise our ambitions for next season and beyond, we need to maintain the spirit and unity that has been demonstrated by none other than you, the season ticket holder, and your unwavering support.

 

You can be certain that we are all working to ensure your support for Rangers is rewarded, and that our commitment to achieving success for this great Club will not diminish.

 

- Signed Martin Bain and Walter Smith

 

Positive words then and I certainly appreciate the thanks for the supports' ever loyal financial and emotional investment each year. Some may find it patronising but I feel the gratitude is genuine enough - certainly retaining over 40,000 season ticket holders will be a big challenge for the club over the coming months. I know I can't be the only bear weighing up his options due to personal circumstances.

 

And that is where the second part of the quoted statement comes in. Outwith the difficulty of finding the �£400+ to pay for the actual ticket, how can we be 'certain' our support will be 'rewarded'?

 

To be clear, I don't expect success every year - that is unrealistic even if Rangers are capable of winning the SPL title at any given time. Similarly, I realise reaching a European final is a once in a generation event and even managing to qualify for (never mind from) a Champions' League Group may soon prove extremely challenging.

 

As such, when I pay my �£400+; I don't do it because I expect success and silverware but simply to retain a close, emotional involvement with the club I love and supply one small investment towards achieving said success. On the other hand, what I do expect is the same commitment, emotion and investment from those connected with the club. Fortunately, for the most part, we do get that in return - even if it could be argued there remains a large gap between the support and those who run the institution. However, just what are the club doing to ensure we remain competitive?

 

This season has seen many exciting aspects - from being on he brink of winning the title, to being unbeaten against Celtic, to winning the League Cup with only nine men - all with an admirable record in terms of statistics and value for money for those of us who renewed this time last year. Indeed if we do secure the title, it will be one of the most satisfying (and important) I've ever experienced. Nevertheless, there are many worries for the Rangers support which may accompany any title-winning hangover.

 

First of all the club's ownership remains in doubt and, despite the manager's words in the season ticket renewal letter, he has been extremely vocal on this issue. Ergo, can we genuinely expect to keep our key playing assets as well as the moderate number of players whose contracts run out next month? Certainly it seems far from clear who will and who will not be here next year. Astoundingly even the management team are not guaranteed to be in charge. Just what influence do Lloyds Bank have on our great club and where does MIH sit - other than being a heavy burden on our immediate future?

 

Furthermore, despite our good performance domestically, in Europe we have been poor now for two seasons on the trot and with an ever-weakening squad, there is little to be excited about in terms of improving on that record next season and beyond. Given the impact European football has on our finances, how does the manager and those who run the club expect to address that crucial challenge over the coming years?

 

To conclude, I don't doubt the vast majority of fans will renew their season ticket - myself among them. And those that are unable to do so (for whatever reason) will likely be replaced by new fans that can. However, just how sincere are the words from the Chief Executive quoted above? Just where is our money going and how will it be spent? To maintain the 'spirit and unity' you mention in the letter, we need to know exactly what you are doing to reward our continued investment and loyalty. Actions speak louder than words.

 

Why not start by making it completely clear just what the future holds for every Rangers fan.

Edited by Frankie
Link to post
Share on other sites

Im renewing my season ticket for the team i love and have supported since i was a kid, what we as supporters have experienced this season is nothing short of remarkable with the 9 men cis cup win and being on the brink of securing title 53 aswell as the financial troubles we are still standing shoulder to shoulder in great support of our club, we may not be out the woods yet but fingers crossed it all comes good in the end :)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I stopped renewing 2 years ago after 27 years season ticket holder . I simply cannot go back whilst Murray is still their , this hurts me more than the club , but after years of buying strips , shares , the Rangers Bond ,Gerssave . I felt that I could take no more ,

 

If he had been honest and , in some ways very much like this general election , come clean about how bad things were and how we as a club and support could get out the mess then I might have felt better and actually tried to do something , but we have been lied to again and again , the UEFA cup run was a prime example ,where all the money went I still dont know , after the C/L run we had packed games at Ibrox plus prize money yet we still lost money , and that was after selling Hutton .

 

So yes we are being taken for mugs

Link to post
Share on other sites

I stopped renewing 2 years ago after 27 years season ticket holder . I simply cannot go back whilst Murray is still their , this hurts me more than the club , but after years of buying strips , shares , the Rangers Bond ,Gerssave . I felt that I could take no more ,

 

If he had been honest and , in some ways very much like this general election , come clean about how bad things were and how we as a club and support could get out the mess then I might have felt better and actually tried to do something , but we have been lied to again and again , the UEFA cup run was a prime example ,where all the money went I still dont know , after the C/L run we had packed games at Ibrox plus prize money yet we still lost money , and that was after selling Hutton .

 

So yes we are being taken for mugs

 

You make many valid points mate and I'm sure many bears hare your views and your stance.

 

Some people have suggested that Bain (and the club generally) have been much more pro-active and have performed better 'politically' recently - since SDM stepped down in fact.

 

If this is true, perhaps he can take this a stage further by being completely honest about our situation which may prove more unifying and increase spirit more than deflecting or hiding from it.

Link to post
Share on other sites

You make many valid points mate and I'm sure many bears hare your views and your stance.

 

Some people have suggested that Bain (and the club generally) have been much more pro-active and have performed better 'politically' recently - since SDM stepped down in fact.

 

If this is true, perhaps he can take this a stage further by being completely honest about our situation which may prove more unifying and increase spirit more than deflecting or hiding from it.

 

To be totally honest Frankie one major reason was because I have a bond I am guarenteed my seat back , so I am not exactly 100% principled neither am I totally stupid , however whoever or rather if anyone takes over I will as usual go back to giving my 100% support , the irony is I may just be jumping out the frying pan into the fire so to speak ..

Link to post
Share on other sites

To be totally honest Frankie one major reason was because I have a bond I am guarenteed my seat back , so I am not exactly 100% principled neither am I totally stupid , however whoever or rather if anyone takes over I will as usual go back to giving my 100% support , the irony is I may just be jumping out the frying pan into the fire so to speak ..

 

If I'm being honest I don't like that view.

 

"Oh well I don't like the chairman so I'm not giving my full support"

 

"Oh well I don't like the manager so I'm not giving my full support"

 

etc..

 

The bit I don't like the most is "however whoever or rather if anyone takes over I will as usual go back to giving my 100% support"... so what if someone takes over and they are even worse than Murray, what you going to do?

Link to post
Share on other sites

I stopped renewing 2 years ago after 27 years season ticket holder . I simply cannot go back whilst Murray is still their , this hurts me more than the club , but after years of buying strips , shares , the Rangers Bond ,Gerssave . I felt that I could take no more ,

 

If he had been honest and , in some ways very much like this general election , come clean about how bad things were and how we as a club and support could get out the mess then I might have felt better and actually tried to do something , but we have been lied to again and again , the UEFA cup run was a prime example ,where all the money went I still dont know , after the C/L run we had packed games at Ibrox plus prize money yet we still lost money , and that was after selling Hutton .

 

So yes we are being taken for mugs

 

I looked at the accounts and the money paid out as bonuses was ludicrous, that was where most of the money went.

Link to post
Share on other sites

If I'm being honest I don't like that view.

 

"Oh well I don't like the chairman so I'm not giving my full support"

 

"Oh well I don't like the manager so I'm not giving my full support"

 

etc..

 

The bit I don't like the most is "however whoever or rather if anyone takes over I will as usual go back to giving my 100% support"... so what if someone takes over and they are even worse than Murray, what you going to do?

 

That's the gamble but after 18 years of Murray's continual lies I made a decision I wasn't going to give him my money up front , you also missed the ironic part of the post , please if your going to quote me at least include the whole line .. I aint asking you to agree , in fact I dont really care it's a personnal opinion and at last count I was still entitled to that .

 

As for the bonuses we brought in way more than that from the ticketing from the UEFA home games , yet we still made a loss even counting for the C/L money , it doesn't add up

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.


×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.