Dave King – The Grand Old Duke of York?

[Frankie 8,136]

http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/250-dave-king-the-grand-old-duke-of-york

 

I’m pretty sure most of our readers will be aware of the old nursery rhyme in the title. Like many such popular rhymes, the origins appear to be unclear with a variety of historic figures and events referenced in relation to it. In any case, no matter the provenance, the satirical message within the verse appears clear – uncertainty will often deliver futility. So, how does that transfer to the Rangers saga?

 

First of all, there’s nothing certain in anything that happens at Rangers nowadays. Doesn’t matter if it’s a Cup Final against Raith Rovers or statements released to the Stock Exchange, every issue is pored over in minute detail and, yet, the outcomes far from definite. Be it the manager’s team selection or a director’s press interview, Rangers fans lack faith in almost every aspect of the club. Indeed, that has been shown in a quite remarkable 50% downturn in season ticket sales with only 17,000 sold so far ahead of what should be an exciting new season. Now, it doesn’t matter if you’re a backer of Dave King’s efforts to gain a majority shareholding or just a football fan fed up of an ever-decreasing quality of product on the field, a shortfall of around 20,000 season ticket holders is unprecedented in the modern era at Ibrox. This should be a source of great concern to us all – not used as some proud gauge of non-faith simply to make a point.

 

Of course it wouldn’t take much for those numbers to rise extremely quickly before the SPFL Championship opener against Hearts. A share issue announcement, other substantial investment, proper fan engagement and, a new player or, dare I say it, a new manager may persuade many fans to renew/purchase ahead of the 2014/15 campaign. Unfortunately, I think it’s fair to say, neither of these are likely in the coming weeks. Sure, a new share issue is perhaps inevitable in the autumn but with the nuts and bolts of that still unclear, it won’t uplift season ticket numbers to their usual levels.

 

Indeed, it’s that lack of transparency and engagement which have resulted in the low numbers so far. Many, many bears are fed up of being led up the garden path by the variety of figures involved with the club in recent years. From the egotistical arrogance of people like Sir David Murray and Charles Green to the ineffectual incompetence of club directors and staff, mismanagement has never been far away from our club in the 21st century. Yes, we may not have the huge debts of ten years ago but neither do we have the kind of credible leadership to rebuild the necessary trust between fans and the club. Hence, it’s no surprise that so many fans have disengaged financially when that imperative confidence no longer exists.

 

With that in mind, the recent intervention of Dave King was supposed to be a welcome relief for such fans. Here we have a wealthy supporter of the club, a proven (though past) significant investor and someone both our formal supporters groups and key club figures could relate to. Yes, King is no angel and clearly won’t suffer fools gladly (ask Gary Player) but perhaps it was his kind of no-nonsense approach that could invoke positive change at Rangers. Certainly the fan groups bought his words and, while not every one of the 20,000 non-renewals discussed earlier can be attributed to Dave King’s cynicism and Union of Fans funds, his actions have impacted on us all. In light of that, King’s subsequent public retreat is worrying and worth examination. So, what is he up to?

 

That’s not an easy question to answer with absolutely no reliable information available on his activities. Some say that’s good news (apparently he’s working with shareholders ahead of an EGM), some say forget him (he’s just another tyre-kicker) and others ask why we need his guidance in the first place (we should explore fan ownership). Sure, we're all adults and shouldn't need instruction on our opinions. However, for many not renewing season tickets was a very difficult decision when we consider this will undoubtedly threaten the club's viability – both financially and competitively. Now, we may understand such a tacit threat is part of the 'deal' King is attempting to broker and patience is required. Fine, I get that. However, neither will I have my influence taken for granted.

 

Let's be candid. King's previous (and often verbose) critical statements were becoming tiresome without any real evidence of his own efforts progressing. As such, it made sense for him to retreat publicly while he did the more challenging work in the background. However, that was approaching two months ago now and with no update of substance then fans are quite right to ask if we’re to hold firm on our 'threat' to expedite change or to enquire if King's own bid is dead effectively making the chance of short-term change null and void? One thing is for sure, we can't criticise the Rangers board for being opaque when King is being equally less than forthcoming. That's nothing to do with our individual self-belief – it’s just being consistent. A nudge and a wink isn’t enough…

 

In conclusion then, if we take all the above into consideration, uncertainty remains the biggest obstacle to positive change at Rangers. Not only has the club failed to grasp the nettle in terms of putting together a clear path to recovery but we lack any obvious alternative to this supposedly bleak future the hedge-funds offer. Dave King and his strongest advocates may well argue against that but without being completely clear he’s just guilty of leading us up to the top of the hill. And, so far at least, back down again. Ironically, if he doesn’t outline his intentions soon, that may only result in pushing people into renewing. Or worse; even further from the club they love.

 

I’ll leave you with the closing words of the Grand Old Duke of York – words which succinctly describe the biggest danger facing the club and fans since the days of Craig Whyte ‘duping’ erstwhile captains of industry.

 

“And when they were only half-way up,

They were neither up nor down.”

 

[Rangersitis 0]

A cracking read.

 

Even if I don't agree with everything you say, Frankie, your writing is always top notch, and has been for years.

[Scott7 5,108]

He's blown the bugle too often without anything happening. The troops will be reluctant to stand-to another time unless there's a credible plan of attack.

[jhunter 0]

Humpty Dumpty might be a better analogy for where the club and its support finds itself

[compo 6,079]

what I would love to know is what the heck does king keep in that bag he is always clutching

[RANGERRAB 3,253]

what I would love to know is what the heck does king keep in that bag he is always clutching

 

Certainly not the 750miliion GBP some think he's got.

[Anchorman 0]

Certainly not the 750miliion GBP some think he's got.

 

Rab, do you have any idea how tedious you get banging this drum? "Otherwise he would have bought shares......." says Rab for the 5000th time.. "I think his wealth is only in the tens of millions" says the bold Rab for the 5000th time.

Rab, I won't ask you what you base your utter tripe on. What I will ask you (AGAIN) is what you think his assets alone are worth? Lets start with his vineyards. You regurgitate the same cack so many times that it makes joining these conversations boring as hell.

[TheWee BlueDevil 0]

Better to march them up and down rather than sacrifice them needlessly?????????

[the gunslinger 3,366]

Rab has no idea what kings worth but he knows what he's not worth. With no evidence of course.

[TheTinMan99 0]

When 17,000 foot soldiers decide to keep funding the enemy, not much even the best of Generals can do. He told us what needed to be done, and a fair percentage of us (almost half), decided against it. Hardly King's fault.