An Open Letter to Dave King

[Frankie 8,157]

That's fair enough mate but online opinion is certainly important in the grand scheme of things. And will only increase going forward as more and more fans use the web for their information.

[Hildy 0]

Even if he did bring the support closer together - unite is too strong a term - it would only be delaying the inevitable. What happens in ten or twenty years when King, assuming he has overall control, decides to sell up? Could we be sure that it he would sell to the right person? He doesn't have much time for fan ownership. Would his family inherit the club? Would they want it? Could they run it successfully?

 

The answer is not Dave King and it never was. Any sole owner of a national sporting institution is an obscenity. The sooner we get to grips with this and stop sending begging letters - with all due respect to D'Artagnan - the sooner we'll come to terms with revolutionising the club along democratic lines.

 

We are not a united support, which is fine, but we are not as disunited as is often suggested. There is a mood for beneficial change and if fan ownership happened tomorrow, it would quickly take root and grow.

 

This is what we should be working towards - not a return to the days when one man's opinion was the only opinion that mattered.

[D'Artagnan 173]

I'm not so convinced he would unite anyone.

 

If he worked with the existing board some would moan, if he worked with PM et al others would moan.

 

In any event, King doesn't really convince me either way so certainly wouldn't have my backing until, like anyone, he actually showed us what he planned to do rather than just talk about it.

 

Well I didnt see either faction's supporters suggesting otherwise Frankie

[Stimpy 0]

That's fair enough mate but online opinion is certainly important in the grand scheme of things. And will only increase going forward as more and more fans use the web for their information.

 

Indeed. Most opinions or campaigns start off online before filtering out into mainstream media etc.

 

Hopefully the online debate will have improved for when the next swathe of bears get involved.

[D'Artagnan 173]

Even if he did bring the support closer together - unite is too strong a term - it would only be delaying the inevitable. What happens in ten or twenty years when King, assuming he has overall control, decides to sell up? Could we be sure that it he would sell to the right person? He doesn't have much time for fan ownership. Would his family inherit the club? Would they want it? Could they run it successfully?

 

The answer is not Dave King and it never was. Any sole owner of a national sporting institution is an obscenity. The sooner we get to grips with this and stop sending begging letters - with all due respect to D'Artagnan - the sooner we'll come to terms with revolutionising the club along democratic lines.

 

We are not a united support, which is fine, but we are not as disunited as is often suggested. There is a mood for beneficial change and if fan ownership happened tomorrow, it would quickly take root and grow.

 

This is what we should be working towards - not a return to the days when one man's opinion was the only opinion that mattered.

 

 

I agree with that in principle Hildy and even blogged as much lately. But principles are a luxury that Im willing to forego if its saves our supported being fragmented beyond repair.

[Hildy 0]

D'Artagan, despite everything that has happened, a sizeable number of Rangers fans think we're heroes even though we've been through administration, liquidation and been dumped at the bottom of the Scottish senior game. All this occurred on our watch. One way or another, we couldn't stop the rot. It is therefore inevitable that there will be a less than unified reaction to our situation as the ownership of the club is unclear and board members come and go as often as the seasons change.

 

Sadly, however, a number of Rangers fans cannot handle self-criticism. They will not accept that we are sometimes less than perfect. They think that any fan criticism of the club is unRangers-like. They believe that any criticism of Rangers fans by Rangers fans is unacceptable.

 

They could not be more wrong. We have to put our own house in order instead of wishing for a good fairy, and that means looking inward and trying to address our difficulties. Unfortunately, self-criticism attracts all sorts of accusations on the internet and anyone suggesting that we, the Rangers support, is dysfunctional, is likely to be shouted down and roundly abused - and yet we do have problems that need addressing.

 

The coming of Dave King, if it happens, will only gloss over the situation, and maybe only for a short while. In the meantime, a far more civilised approach is needed from our own supporters. Disagreeing with each other is normal and natural, but when it becomes overly abusive, it becomes intolerable and counter-productive.

 

It might actually be better in the long run if tomorrow's papers were filled with the news that Dave King had chosen to invest his millions in some other project. If that's what it takes to rouse us into constructive action, I certainly won't grumble.

 

This club of ours will not heal until we allow it to heal, and if we are too afraid to admit, and then cure, our own ills, they will surely return in the future. The last thing we need is another all-powerful dictator.

 

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

[Zappa 0]

But thats the thing Zap its not a bit of bickering or infighting its much worse than that.

 

You're right, it is indeed much worse than that, but as I've said a few times recently, these aren't new divisions in our support and they're not easily fixed if they can even be fixed at all, which I doubt very much.

 

It is an undeniable fact that many of the very same fans who've been bitching about, sniping at and even at times attacking the likes of the RST (and by default FF and Mark Dingwall) for the better part of a decade now, are the ones who are now anti-McColl, anti-Paul Murray, anti-RST, anti-SoS, anti this, anti that and anti the next thing.

 

The recent troubles for the Club and ongoing turbulent atmosphere are merely amplifying divisions and problems which have been long-standing issues and they've been long standing issues because bitterness and hatred are deeply rooted in some people and that's almost impossible to fix.

 

Dave King certainly can't fix those problems and I sincerely doubt that any new custodian could either because some things are simply broken, permanently. In this case it's certain relationships, mutual respect for fellow fans and even just every day common courtesy.

 

Thankfully these anti-everything-except-themselves group/s of fans are smaller and have far less of a voice than they think they do because despite their vanity and highly vocal self-obsession, they hold far less numbers and sway than those they attack and consistently mock.

 

We're talking about folk who shout loud and would like to think they divide the online support right down the middle, but in truth they are outnumbered by at least 10 to 1.

Edited December 10, 2013 by Zappa

[bluebear54 0]

We'll never know if the divisions can be bridged - and healed - unless some people try to bring it about.

I'm not sue if just now is the best time.

It might be that the best time is not too far round the corner.

[Zappa 0]

We'll never know if the divisions can be bridged - and healed - unless some people try to bring it about.

 

As far as I know, people have tried and failed numerous times mate. Besides, if the events of the past couple of years including administration and liquidation weren't enough to bridge the divisions and reconcile the differences, then it's unlikely anything or anyone will. A guy who's lived in South Africa for nearly 40 years will probably view these divisions we're talking about as petty nonsense and just tell us to support the team instead of factions. If he did, it would be hard to argue with that sentiment too.

[ranger_syntax 3,779]

I'm afraid I don't think that Dave King would unite fans like the o.p. hopes. The divisions that exist would remain. I think it's best just to ignore it and people who want to do something positive should get on with it.

 

What would be better is if people could learn how to disagree, compromise and work together where common ground exists.

 

In some ways I think that the reaction to any news about Dave King shows how little we have learned over the past few years. We still pin our hopes on a big business man coming along to save us.