Rangers: A happy ending at last?

[Frankie 8,199]

http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/316-rangers-a-happy-ending-at-last

 

 

After many years of pain, embarrassment and even fear; Friday the 6th of March 2015 will hopefully live long in the memory for Rangers fans. The obvious support for the Dave King led boardroom revolution was realised that day in an overwhelming victory for each of his group’s general meeting resolutions. ‘Long live the King’ is the mantra from many fans and the excitement is palpable amongst supporters concerned about the club’s future. A return to past glories is within our grasp and it only seems to be a matter of time before Rangers once again challenge Celtic to dominate Scottish football. But just how long will King’s honeymoon period last in that sense? And is success guaranteed under this new regime?

 

First of all, King and his colleagues were correct to caution excited fans last week. The task of rebuilding our football club is huge: not only off the pitch but, as seen after another unacceptable result and performance at Cowdenbeath, on it as well. Not since the mid-1980s has Rangers been in such a bad position and only an inspired David Holmes managed to turn around our fortunes then via the appointment of Graeme Souness. The arrival of Sir David Murray thereafter supplemented the initial Holmes vision but while sustained success returned quickly during this period all the hard work of the 1990s was soon eroded via a combination of hubris, short-termism and exposure to the banking crisis of more recent times. The fall of the club since its sale to Craig Whyte in 2011 has been staggering and the lack of genuine recovery, despite almost £100million of investment, equally startling. To say King will have to effectively start from scratch is one truism that every fan must understand.

 

With that in mind, what will be the new board’s main priorities? I’d suggest there will be three – all of which are closely connected to the other.

 

Finance and the Boardroom

 

Of most importance will be sourcing the funds to not only run the club but to pay off existing debts due to Mike Ashley/Sports Direct. Despite some (largely mischief-making) doubts over King’s own net worth, his partnership with Paul Murray and John Gilligan points to what will be a keen canvassing of the Ibrox Members Lounge starting from Tuesday evening. Furthermore, the rapid appointment of Douglas Park to the new board should secure the backing of various other high-net worth individuals connected to the club. Former chairman Malcolm Murray may also prove a useful conduit to the institutions as Rangers inevitably look towards at least one share issue after the initial stability work. Further board members are likely as more investment comes in. The fine line between individual shareholder interests and that of the club’s must be well defined in that respect. As must the difference between potential directors being ‘Rangers minded’ and actually bringing bona fide expertise to the table.

 

The Fans

 

Despite the problems of the last 3-4 years, it has only been in recent times that fan support has started to understandably waver so a reversal of declining crowds will prove vital to the stabilisation of the club in the short to medium term. Over 15,000 season ticket holders were lost during the summer of 2014 with crowd averages falling by at least half from previous years. Re-engaging with this obvious source of funds will be key. Quite simply without the backing of the Rangers family any regime is doomed to failure. Moreover, if we factor in the recent large-scale backing of fan ownership schemes, supporter influence has never been stronger. Nurturing these initiatives will prove integral to the long term viability of the club. Patronisation will not work.

 

Football Operation

 

It seems clear the footballing infrastructure at the club is broken. Not only do we have the nonsensical situation of two different managers working notice periods on expensive contracts; we have a playing squad devoid of leadership, application and, to be frank, unacceptable physical and mental standards. In addition, we have no scouting system of note and our youth academy lacks the credible decision-maker such a crucial department clearly needs. All of this has crystallised into consistently poor results on the field. Our performances not only lack character or quality but our players hide from responsibility at almost every turn. This is inexcusable and a raft of changes must be implemented at the earliest point. Not only are we in great danger of failing to be promoted to the Scottish Premiership at the first time of asking but under the current model, we may struggle again next year. Despite this, with over ten players out of contract this summer, the opportunity of a blank canvass is there for any new management staff. However, the importance of any associated changes cannot be overstated.

 

 

In addition to these priorities, the main question I’ve seen asked most by fans is that of how long the new administration has to implement positive change throughout the club. One week? A few months? Longer? Unfortunately this isn’t easy to answer as each individual issue has its own limitations. For example, while we may expect to see a change of manager in short order – the significance of any long term appointment means we must not rush into any decision. On the other hand, King has been working on taking control of Rangers for long enough to know his preferred strategy for the football operation (and indeed other areas of the club). Thus, while his comments about actually being in charge before committing to certain tasks have obvious merit, I’d be surprised if King wasn’t conscious of the urgency of some issues. Some positive change should come quickly.

 

Nevertheless he’s right to advocate and ask for supporter patience. Addressing the above priorities as well as working on longer term concerns (onerous contracts, stadium maintenance, fan engagement and media/PR work) will take time and improvement may perhaps be difficult to define initially. However, if King’s own bywords are to be transparency and accountability, an expedited path to turning the club around must be found. After all if Hearts (and to a lesser extent Hibs) can substantially rebuild over the course of less than a year, frustrated Rangers fans should see meaningful changes just as quickly now the new board are in place. Yes, re-negotiating retail contracts with Mike Ashley may not happen overnight but we can all play our part in applying pressure where required. A new allied front between fans and the club is more than agreeable in that sense. To coin a phrase: where there is unity there is always victory.

 

Conversely, it could be argued with the best of victories should come humility. That’s relevant to our current position as our own excesses and pomposity combined with risk-taking and gambles has brought us all to our knees. Of course Rangers supporters can’t be blamed for the conceit of Sir David Murray or the alleged criminality of Craig Whyte. Similarly, it’s difficult to overly criticise any supporter for being taken in by the dishonesty of more recent directors. However, self-awareness is a virtue and we must learn from past mistakes – be them ours or not. In that respect the new regime is also correct to speak of rebuilding relationships. Yes it may be difficult to forgive the words and actions of some of our peers (or those in the media) but we must recognise that the only way to strengthen our club is to strengthen others too. A more durable Scottish football league means a more solid future for us all. We absolutely want to dominate domestically but we have no divine right to this and it was such short-sightedness that often proved just as problematic as anything else in where we find ourselves now. That’s not a sop to our rivals – just a fact we must accept if we’re to change for the better.

 

In conclusion, we are absolutely right to demand change at our club going forward. For all that, we must also realise our own responsibilities. It may have been (partially) lost along the way but pride in Rangers is an ideal we all share. Alongside that other considerations must be found if we’re to restore success to the club. Trust, honesty and tradition aren’t virtues that can be bought but if the new King’s reign is to work then that’s the ethical foundation he must build upon. And it’s the moral of a story fans must appreciate if we’re to ever achieve the happy ending we all want.

Edited March 9, 2015 by Frankie

[Laudbertz 0]

Great article Frankie. Your paragraph on Football Operation is accurately utterly depressing lol.

 

Patience is going to be one of the most difficult things for us fans to do given we have had to be extremely patient over the past 4 years. Expectations have to be realistic. I have sort of resigned myself to the fact that we are most likely playing Championship football again next season, and it'll take more than a bit of cash to get us back to where we want to be.

 

The one thing I have grown more impatient about in the whoooole 3 days since the new era, is that (short term) management hasnt changed, but we have another 30 or so hours until the next game so theres time yet.

[Frankie 8,199]

Great article Frankie. Your paragraph on Football Operation is accurately utterly depressing lol.

 

Patience is going to be one of the most difficult things for us fans to do given we have had to be extremely patient over the past 4 years. Expectations have to be realistic. I have sort of resigned myself to the fact that we are most likely playing Championship football again next season, and it'll take more than a bit of cash to get us back to where we want to be.

 

The one thing I have grown more impatient about in the whoooole 3 days since the new era, is that (short term) management hasnt changed, but we have another 30 or so hours until the next game so theres time yet.

 

The thing is, after four years, we've finally (hopefully!) got the right people in charge. Yes, we should expect them to act quickly but we won't see huge changes overnight.

 

This is where we need to be patient and if the regime communicate effectively then I'm confident most fans will be realistic on that front.

[The Real PapaBear 0]

A very good read if somewhat depressing due to it's realism and pragmatism. On the plus side, I think we've been down so long that only the bug-eyed loyal will be expecting changes overnight and the fan base will be prepared to give board, team and management time, just as long as we see *some* signs of change in the right direction.

Remembering that this is not Serie A, we should be able to secure a top 3 spot in our first season back in the top flight and I don't think it's unrealistic to expect a title challenge a season or two after that.,