Rangers legend Laudrup in plea to Ibrox board

[ian1964 10,409]

BRIAN LAUDRUP today appealed to Rangers chiefs to patch up their differences with supporters - and work together to restore the Ibrox club to its former glory.

 

 

 

Laudrup revealed he had been saddened to see the Glasgow giants continue to be plagued by off-field problems since dropping down to the fourth tier of Scottish football.

 

The legendary winger had hoped the Light Blues would go from strength to strength after they emerged from their financial difficulties two years ago.

 

However, unhappiness with a succession of directors and executives has steadily escalated as tens of millions of pounds of income has been squandered.

 

Matters came to a head this summer when many fans decided not to renew their season tickets - until they received assurances over the future of the stadium and training ground.

 

The bitter stand-off has resulted in vastly reduced numbers of supporters signing up to watch Ally McCoist's side in action at home in the SPFL Championship in the 2014/15 campaign.

 

The club has now admitted that additional funding will have to be found to meet running costs in the coming season and another share issue will be held for existing shareholders later in the year.

 

And at the weekend around 3,000 disgruntled fans marched on Ibrox in a rally organised by the Sons of Struth protest group to demand guarantees over the stadium.

 

Laudrup still takes a keen interest in the fortunes of the Glasgow club, where he spent four years during a glorious spell in the 1990s, from his homeland in Denmark.

 

He stressed he would like to see senior Rangers officials to do everything in their power to mend their fractured relationship with a sizeable section of their followers.

 

Because he feels they need to work as one if the 54-times Scottish champions are to become a dominant force again in football in this country AND get back into European competition.

 

His appeal came as Rangers announced they had set up a nominations committee whose job will be to draw up a shortlist of supporters to be elected to an official fans' board.

 

He said: "I just hope Rangers supporters can look forward to watching the club playing at the level they deserve to be at in the top flight and in Europe once again soon.

 

"I hope they will be back where they once were soon. That is what the supporters deserve. They love the club so much. I am keeping my fingers crossed that that is what is going to happen.

 

"But I know there have been more setbacks along the way. I have read online there are still problems off the park and there are still issues between the club and the supporters.

 

"I hope that these can be sorted out soon. The club need to have the supporters behind them if they are to get Rangers back to the level they should be playing at in Scotland and in Europe.

 

"I think whatever concerns the fans have about the club and the direction it is heading in need to be looked at because Rangers need to have them firmly behind them."

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-legend-laudrup-in-plea-to-ibrox-board-172466n.24818886

[ian1964 10,409]

Brian Laudrup: Meltdown at Rangers has been like a death in the family

 

IT is nearly 16 years since Brian Laudrup bade a sad farewell to Rangers and embarked upon a new chapter in his career at Chelsea.

 

 

 

But his love of the Ibrox club, where he feels he produced the best football of his life, still burns as strongly now as it ever did.

 

And the Dane has revealed the trauma the Glasgow giants have endured in the last few years has been heart-rending.

 

He was at Rangers at a time when some of the biggest names in the European game, himself included, were signed in multi-million pound deals.

 

Walter Smith's star-studded side dominated domestically as a result and completed - thanks to a rare headed goal from Laudrup against Dundee United - nine-in-a-row in 1997.

 

So seeing the once-great institution suffer financial meltdown and then get dumped into the Third Division alongside part-time minnows shocked him.

 

"When the news first broke about all of the off-field problems that Rangers were having I was pretty devastated," he said.

 

"I still try to keep in touch with what is happening at Rangers by going online and I couldn't believe the stories that I was reading at the time.

 

"For any Rangers supporter or any former Rangers player, it was very hard to bear when the club was relegated to the fourth tier of Scottish football. For me, it was like losing one of my nearest ones.

 

"It was really hard to watch what happened to the club from over here in Denmark."

 

Despite his anger, disbelief and sadness at the fate that befell his former club, Laudrup always believed that Rangers would, in due course, recover.

 

For he believed that in manager Ally McCoist they had exactly the right man to lead them through the leagues and back into the top flight of Scottish football.

 

The winger struck up an excellent understanding on the pitch with the prolific striker during the four years he spent plying his trade in this country and they enjoyed a good relationship off it.

 

In that halcyon spell, he witnessed McCoist's affection for the club he had grown up supporting as a boy and also his strength of character.

 

So Laudrup is not surprised the record Rangers goalscorer, aided by his old team-mate Ian Durrant, has successfully steered the club to back-to-back promotions in the last two seasons.

 

And he remains optimistic, despite the continuing unrest at Ibrox, that the Gers will complete "The Journey" by beating Hearts and Hibs to the SPFL Championship title in the 2014/15 campaign.

 

"Knowing that Coisty was there and knowing that Durranty was there alongside him on the coaching staff gave me hope that Rangers could come back," he said.

 

"There was great camaraderie in the dressing room when I played at Rangers. We had some real characters in the team and Coisty and Durranty were two of them.

 

"We were professional about the game and did everything that we possibly could to play well and be successful. But off the park we had big fun.

 

"It was how football should be. At some of the other clubs I played at in my career you would train in the morning and then you wouldn't see your team-mates until the next morning.

 

"At Rangers it was all about having a great time on and off the park."

 

Laudrup added: "Coisty and Durranty are guys who love the club, who live, sleep, eat and breathe Rangers.

 

"I knew that with them both involved there was a good chance that Rangers would survive and would get back to where they belong.

 

"And that is exactly what has happened and what is continuing to happen.

 

"They have a great chance to get back into the top flight this season. It would be great to see if they do."

 

Joining their Old Firm rivals Celtic in the SPFL Premiership next year would be a major milestone for Rangers as they strive to become a major force in Scottish football again.

 

But Laudrup, who is now a respected television pundit on Champions League nights over in his homeland, feels they should aim higher than that.

 

He reckons that getting back into Europe's premier club competition and taking on the continent's elite again should be an objective for the Govan club.

 

Performances in that tournament often left much to be desired when the midfielder played for Rangers, but he reckons that is the level that a club of such a size and stature belong at.

 

He said: "I would obviously like to see Rangers back in the top division and competing for the title and the League Cup and the Scottish Cup. That is the level they should be at.

 

"There is a long way to go, but they should also be thinking about playing in the Europa League and playing in the Champions League once again as well.

 

"European nights at Ibrox were always fantastic occasions.

 

"It is a level the supporters are used to seeing their team play at and I am sure they will do so again in the future."

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/brian-laudrup-meltdown-at-rangers-has-been-like-a-death-in-the-family-172408n.24817558

[ian1964 10,409]

Goalie Goram is my link to past, present and future, says Rangers legend Laudrup

 

BRIAN Laudrup admits he has lost touch with many of the players he enjoyed such success alongside during his time at Rangers.

 

 

 

The winger moved back to his native Denmark when he retired aged 31 back in 2000 after a final spell with Dutch giants Ajax.

 

He now helps run a football academy for marginalised youths along with former international goalkeeper Lars Hogh.

 

And he is also a highly respected and knowledgeable pundit on Danish television on Champions League nights.

 

But Laudrup still keeps in touch with goings-on at his former club Rangers and tries to get back to Scotland whenever his work commitments allow.

 

And he revealed that he is kept abreast of events in Glasgow by one of his old Light Blues team mates, goalkeeper Andy Goram.

 

He said: "Footballers drift away from each other when they leave a club. You lose contact with your old friends and team-mates over the years.

 

"But I am still in contact with The Goalie on a pretty regular basis.

 

"We send messages to each other and speak on the phone from time to time.

 

"And I still try to come back to Scotland around once a year. The reception that I get from fans whenever I do always touches me greatly.

 

"Rangers is forever in my heart. It is such a fantastic club."

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/goalie-goram-is-my-link-to-past-present-and-future-says-rangers-legend-172410n.24817596

[Tannochsidebear 2,306]

Classy words from a classy guy.

[Waltersgotstyle 297]

God I love that man.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

brian understands what the board don't.