Is Charles Green back to square one?

[Frankie 8,182]

Before I start on this article, let's make one thing clear: Craig Whyte is untrustworthy, discredited and a genuine enemy of Rangers Football Club. On the other hand, Charles Green helped save the club and over the last year has done a fairly good job in applying the foundations to deliver it back to the pinnacle of Scottish Football. For that he deserves our thanks and our backing. However, with that should come constructive criticism and such engagement is absolutely necessary if we're to progress over the coming years.

 

To that end, the last few days has been a disaster for the Rangers Chief Executive. Not in terms of the news that he had to work with Whyte to secure the future of the club, but more his reaction to the inevitable saturated media coverage.

 

Again, let's be clear. As I tweeted on Friday morning when the Whyte story broke, last spring all bidders had to communicate with the then owner to try and secure his shareholding and floating charge. Bill Ng did (through his financial advisers at least) while board members of the RST have suggested the Blue Knights were also in discussions with Whyte in terms of removing his influence from any new ownership bid. I was told last year this wasn't as easy as it sounds and this website continually made the point then that he was a real obstacle to the future of Rangers FC. In fact, the demands of Whyte to potential owners last year were often bizarre and bordering on the impossible (including nonsense like lifetime Director's Box seats). As such, the events of the last few days are not a surprise - even expected.

 

Of course, no matter the poor public image of Whyte the club had to respond. And, despite their recent strategy in attempting to keep all media work in-house, working directly with the Scottish Sun (who had the exclusive) made initial sense in terms of ensuring 'our' side of the story was put across right beside that of Whyte's. Unfortunately, the last few days have seen this strategy fail badly with a series of irrelevant comments from Charles Green that no Rangers fan wants to hear (see today's Ahmad own goal in particular). Quite simply, the club didn't need to respond in this way - instead of a clear, professional explanation of what happened to fans and shareholders; we've extended the life of the story with a variety of long-winded statements and daft interviews. We ourselves have been the oxygen for this particular fire.

 

Indeed, this obvious lack of a cohesive and consistent PR strategy arguably reflects a lack of organisation at the club as a whole. We've heard nothing from chairman Malcolm Murray or other directors on this issue and I've not seen any comment from 'official' fan groups. Green has engaged pretty well with fans on an informal basis with a series of Q&A meetings at Ibrox but he's missed a trick by failing to formalise this and give the support a fans organisation we can place our trust in. The Assembly hasn't met for over a year now and it's safe to say he doesn't see them as a long term answer. Add in the Sandaza and Neil Murray 'sackings' then any club proclaimed restructuring plan isn't immediately clear to supporters.

 

This lack of clarity is directly related to the Whyte issue in that the next few weeks will see the annual season ticket renewals letters being posted out. 38,000 such sales for the 2012/13 season and a successful IPO shows just how well Green has done over the last 8 months or so and amidst our annoyance with recent events it's vital not to discount his achievement there. That makes his poor reaction to an issue which should have been easily swatted aside all the more disappointing.

 

Poor reaction or not, I don't think what has happened this weekend is something for Rangers fans to get overly worried about. Green may not have been overly candid about his dealings with Whyte when he could have in the past but it's not an issue that will, for example, see his reign end prematurely. However, it is also fair to say it has caused him more trouble than it should have and in many ways he has caused much of it himself. Instead of celebrating the Third Division title at Hampden this afternoon, fans will be more concerned about off-the-field issues again - that's a real frustration.

 

To conclude, in the lead up to an important period of season book renewals Charles Green is arguably back to square one in terms of persuading fans he's credible. That may well be giving our enemies a result of sorts but it's the club's reaction to this issue over the coming weeks that is most important. The best way to secure another year of 38,000 season tickets isn't to bleat about nonsense in the red-tops but to openly explain how he intends to 'restructure' the club and just how that will get us back to the top. Involve the fans directly - not via hastily arranged match-day meetings in the Chairman's Lounge.

 

That's the real issue here for Charles Green and its his reaction to those questions that will define his and the club's short term future. I genuinely hope he, Jim Traynor and Ramsay Smith apply more attention to that over the coming weeks as it's the Rangers supporters that will continue to fund the club - no matter what happens with the reconstruction or Craig Whyte shambles.

[alexscottislegend 2,090]

The best way to secure another year of 38,000 season tickets isn't to bleat about nonsense in the red-tops but to openly explain how he intends to 'restructure' the club and just how that will get us back to the top. Involve the fans directly - not via hastily arranged match-day meetings in the Chairman's Lounge.It's as simple as that ,really. I'm starting to wish for so-called 'Rangers men now - where is Dave King? Has he sorted out his SA tax problems?

[Mountain Bear 0]

Spot on Frankie.

 

I try to judge Green on what he does rather than what he says, but more clarity and less patter would certainly help.

[simplythebest 0]

Hardly, I think if he came out onto the Ibrox pitch to do another speech he'd still be warmly received.

[RANGERRAB 3,299]

In this country we've national newspapers trying to produce exclusives where there really isn't news at all. I do not believe Whyte has any control or influence in our club today and he never again. I believe we're seeing the last acts of a desperate man who knows he's facing a jail sentence in the no too distant future.

I'd rather these publications concentrated their efforts on finding out the truth in how Whyte managed to get control of Rangers from SDM. Was SDM blackmailed ? if so by whom & for what reasons ? was it the two chancers at LBG ?

I'd much prefer us to get back to discussing the football side of things because what we're watching at present simply isn't acceptable & CG must decide sooner or later if he's to allow Ally to bring new out-of-contract players this summer with a view to registering them on September 1st

[Frankie 8,182]

Hardly, I think if he came out onto the Ibrox pitch to do another speech he'd still be warmly received.

 

Absolutely. The fans won't turn on him publicly like that.

 

Doesn't make the criticisms above any less valid. Care to discuss them?

[Frankie 8,182]

In this country we've national newspapers trying to produce exclusives where there really isn't news at all. I do not believe Whyte has any control or influence in our club today and he never again. I believe we're seeing the last acts of a desperate man who knows he's facing a jail sentence in the no too distant future.

I'd rather these publications concentrated their efforts on finding out the truth in how Whyte managed to get control of Rangers from SDM. Was SDM blackmailed ? if so by whom & for what reasons ? was it the two chancers at LBG ?

I'd much prefer us to get back to discussing the football side of things because what we're watching at present simply isn't acceptable & CG must decide sooner or later if he's to allow Ally to bring new out-of-contract players this summer with a view to registering them on September 1st

 

All fair points but the fact of the matter is we don't know what's happening because we're not involved and the club are less than consistent on a range of issues.

 

No-one is saying the fans are to give credence to scare-mongering or mischief-making in the media. However, we are entitled to debate the club's reaction to such problems and this weekend's reaction has been poor.

[simplythebest 0]

Absolutely. The fans won't turn on him publicly like that.

 

Doesn't make the criticisms above any less valid. Care to discuss them?

 

If he was back to square one though he'd be getting such hostility, it was bad at the beginning.

[Frankie 8,182]

If he was back to square one though he'd be getting such hostility, it was bad at the beginning.

 

Sure, the title is somewhat exaggerated but I'm sure you'll concede the last few weeks have been less than positive for Green. Many fans (online at least but it does go beyond there) are unhappy with his comments/lack of transparency and if you add these two issues to other recent problems (Sandaza, Neil Murray, Malcolm Murray, the poor performance of the team and decreasing crowds), then Green's stock is falling in more ways than one.

 

We ignore the issues at our peril.

[UCF2008 0]

If he was back to square one though he'd be getting such hostility, it was bad at the beginning.

 

Maybe in the eyes of Green it was bad. Sure, he didn't get the hero's welcome Whyte was given, but I don't think anyone other than maybe Walter would have. As far as I can remember there was a little bit of animosity from some fans because he beat TBK's, but nothing you would call 'bad'...at least not until the CVA failed, Walter and McColl appeared and Bomber exited Ibrox Kamikaze style.

 

He's never really been a hate figure though. The angry mob's never amounted to more than a couple of dozen hardcore nutters asking for answers. Nothing too 'hostile'.