Time for a change demo yesterday

[Bluedell 5,353]

Robertson - I presume that he generally acts in line with the instructions received from the RIFC board, similarly to the way that Bain acted under the instructions from Murray for much of his time (apart from the time at the end). Replacing him is just going to bring in someone who acts in a similar manner. I'm unsure what replacing him will achieve.

 

Wilson - is he responsible for bringing in players or is it the managers? According to him, it's the managers, and I've not heard much to suggest that this isn't true. Do we give him credit for putting together a squad that unbelievably only lost a European final on penalties, or do we criticise him for overpaying for Matondo? It seems that he gets criticised for everything bad that happens and the managers get the credit for everything good. There are definitely areas in which he can be criticised but is it really enough to warrant posters and banners? I 'm not sure.

 

Spending - we as a support are a bunch of hypocrites. We demand that we must never be in massive debt again but as soon as we have a board of bluenoses who are now using the self-sufficiency model that they promised the protests start. What did people think self-sufficiency meant?

 

The RIFC board - these are guys who, together with King, have put or arranged around £59 million into the club to help us get from where we were in 2015 to league winners and European finalists. They don't have the resources or the willingness to put more into the club. If there were any other investors out there who wanted to put cash in and had the best interests in the club at heart they would have appeared in 2010  or 2015. I may be wrong but there aren't any alternatives at the moment, other than the likes of Green or Ashley who just see it as a cash-grab. 

 

I see the crazy allegations that they're taking cash out the club. In addition to the millions that they've put in, they have lent the club money when other alternatives haven't been available, and they are then repaid in line with what was agreed, and some try and spin that as a bad thing. I really don't get it.

 

The board aren't perfect and and have many faults but they are all that we have at the moment.  We've made significant inroads at reducing the gap between  us and the other mob but it's not going to close overnight and no amount of protesting is going to bring more cash into the club. 

 

 

 

 

[CammyF 6,877]

14 minutes ago, Bluedell said:

Robertson - I presume that he generally acts in line with the instructions received from the RIFC board, similarly to the way that Bain acted under the instructions from Murray for much of his time (apart from the time at the end). Replacing him is just going to bring in someone who acts in a similar manner. I'm unsure what replacing him will achieve.

 

Wilson - is he responsible for bringing in players or is it the managers? According to him, it's the managers, and I've not heard much to suggest that this isn't true. Do we give him credit for putting together a squad that unbelievably only lost a European final on penalties, or do we criticise him for overpaying for Matondo? It seems that he gets criticised for everything bad that happens and the managers get the credit for everything good. There are definitely areas in which he can be criticised but is it really enough to warrant posters and banners? I 'm not sure.

 

Spending - we as a support are a bunch of hypocrites. We demand that we must never be in massive debt again but as soon as we have a board of bluenoses who are now using the self-sufficiency model that they promised the protests start. What did people think self-sufficiency meant?

 

The RIFC board - these are guys who, together with King, have put or arranged around £59 million into the club to help us get from where we were in 2015 to league winners and European finalists. They don't have the resources or the willingness to put more into the club. If there were any other investors out there who wanted to put cash in and had the best interests in the club at heart they would have appeared in 2010  or 2015. I may be wrong but there aren't any alternatives at the moment, other than the likes of Green or Ashley who just see it as a cash-grab. 

 

I see the crazy allegations that they're taking cash out the club. In addition to the millions that they've put in, they have lent the club money when other alternatives haven't been available, and they are then repaid in line with what was agreed, and some try and spin that as a bad thing. I really don't get it.

 

The board aren't perfect and and have many faults but they are all that we have at the moment.  We've made significant inroads at reducing the gap between  us and the other mob but it's not going to close overnight and no amount of protesting is going to bring more cash into the club. 

 

 

 

 

All good points but are Wilson and Robertson the best available for their positions? I'm 50/50 on Wilson but think we need better than Robertson.

 

Aren't the RIFC board responsible for ensuring we have "best in class" working for Rangers, especially those on substantial salaries?

 

As well as finance and playing model, they are also responsible for the omi-shambles that is ticketing, PR, fan matchday experience, communications, stadium development and upkeep, catering etc, all of which are a complete shambles (and have been for years). 

[Bill 13,717]

14 hours ago, Frankie said:

It also won't be UB organising it but I'd imagine someone else pulling their strings.

That's hard to argue against.

[Bill 13,717]

2 hours ago, Sutton_blows_goats said:

I'd agree with that. I'd also state the board have backed Ross Wilson and Stewart Robertson in the very few public appearances they have had. As has investor Stuart Gibson. 

 

I'd level plenty of criticism at Robertson and Wilson, but I also think they deserve a chance to help get things going in the right direction. I'm not a fan of this scorched earth everything must go perspective.

Well said.

[Frankie 8,182]

2 hours ago, Sutton_blows_goats said:

Interesting, who would that be and to what end?

I don't wholly understand the reasoning but there are people keen to make issues for the board so may well be advising and perhaps also helping logistically/financially here. 

 

Perhaps not Dave King himself but certainly his acolytes. 

[Bluedell 5,353]

1 hour ago, CammyF said:

All good points but are Wilson and Robertson the best available for their positions? I'm 50/50 on Wilson but think we need better than Robertson.

 

Aren't the RIFC board responsible for ensuring we have "best in class" working for Rangers, especially those on substantial salaries?

 

As well as finance and playing model, they are also responsible for the omi-shambles that is ticketing, PR, fan matchday experience, communications, stadium development and upkeep, catering etc, all of which are a complete shambles (and have been for years). 

If we're to follow the Celtic model and have a more autonomous MD/CEO then yes, we would need better than Robertson. Lawwell did a fantastic job for Celtic and it would be great to have someone of a similar/better standard but it would presumably mean that the board would need to give more control to that person.

 

There probably are better people out there than Wilson, but would they be willing to come here with our limited resources? The position maybe one that does need freshened up every 5 years or so, so perhaps it is time for a change.

 

The "best in class" phrase was a throwaway one and it's difficult for anyone without internal knowledge to judge how they are both performing in line with their job definitions.

 

Ticketing - the website is dreadful and does need improved and work to do that is apparently being investigated.

PR/communications - agreed. 

Fan matchday experience - improvements have been made on this.

Stadium development and upkeep - relatively large amounts of cash have been spent on this and it's unfair to say that this is an omni-shambles, given the state of things and the shortage of cash. It's an ongoing process.

Catering - again this has been improved, and it's a difficult one to know where the balance between quality and value lies. I tend not to eat in the stadium but the last burger I had was ten times better than anything under Elior.

 

The other major issue I have with the board is the selling of the Albion. An asset in the environs of the stadium that we can never get back. 

 

As I said, the board aren't perfect and there's large areas that need addressed but there's a big difference between highlighting and discussing them and effectively calling for the board who have been keeping us going to leave.

[Bill 13,717]

While agreeing with much already written about the protest, I tend to take a slightly different view and stand behind a simple question ... is any good likely to come of it?

 

Of course, there are those among us who would  claim success in disrupting the board and the removal of individual directors and shareholders but, leaving aside those motivated by personal grievance, it's very difficult to see the latest protest being of the slightest benefit to Rangers as a whole. All I can see is on the negative side of the ledger - fostering discontent & division, undermining supporter confidence and adding to the stress of those working for the club. To that extent I hope it stops here.

[CammyF 6,877]

59 minutes ago, Bluedell said:

If we're to follow the Celtic model and have a more autonomous MD/CEO then yes, we would need better than Robertson. Lawwell did a fantastic job for Celtic and it would be great to have someone of a similar/better standard but it would presumably mean that the board would need to give more control to that person.

 

There probably are better people out there than Wilson, but would they be willing to come here with our limited resources? The position maybe one that does need freshened up every 5 years or so, so perhaps it is time for a change.

 

The "best in class" phrase was a throwaway one and it's difficult for anyone without internal knowledge to judge how they are both performing in line with their job definitions.

 

Ticketing - the website is dreadful and does need improved and work to do that is apparently being investigated.

PR/communications - agreed. 

Fan matchday experience - improvements have been made on this.

Stadium development and upkeep - relatively large amounts of cash have been spent on this and it's unfair to say that this is an omni-shambles, given the state of things and the shortage of cash. It's an ongoing process.

Catering - again this has been improved, and it's a difficult one to know where the balance between quality and value lies. I tend not to eat in the stadium but the last burger I had was ten times better than anything under Elior.

 

The other major issue I have with the board is the selling of the Albion. An asset in the environs of the stadium that we can never get back. 

 

As I said, the board aren't perfect and there's large areas that need addressed but there's a big difference between highlighting and discussing them and effectively calling for the board who have been keeping us going to leave.

I don't think anyone us calling for the removal of the RIFC board. The only issue I personally have with them is that Douglas Park was initially installed as interim Chairman but seems reluctant to appoint a Chair. 

 

Robertson and Wilson are in the cross-hairs as they are who some fans feel are responsible for the regression after clinching 55. There are arguments for and against this.

 

The issues I raised are an omi-shambles due to the length of time its taken to resolve them. Even issue that we've been told have been rectify are still present. 

 

Catering is woeful - at Raith cup tie I couldn't get my son a hotdog in Broomie Rear. Most of the staff working there are useless, slow and don't know what products they are selling.

 

The toilets at Ibrox are disgusting. No locks on cubicles, no soap or hand towels, filled with people smoking and taking drugs. My 12 year old son now refuses to use the toilets at Ibrox.

 

The ticketing system has been under improvement for years and still doesn't work. How hard can it be to get a working solution? How much money has been wasted attaching sticking plasters? We still have situations where season ticket holders are finding their seat sold and occupied at games and its ST holders who are being moved and informed that paper tickets take priority. 

 

Customer Service is no existing. No phone number to call, just an email address that appears to be monitored once a month. 

 

All of the above doesn't add up to an enhanced match day experience, it's a chore going to watch Rangers at Ibrox and that's before a ball is kicked (and we are paying top dollar for the "privilege").

Edited March 20, 2023 by CammyF

[CammyF 6,877]

50 minutes ago, Bill said:

While agreeing with much already written about the protest, I tend to take a slightly different view and stand behind a simple question ... is any good likely to come of it?

 

Of course, there are those among us who would  claim success in disrupting the board and the removal of individual directors and shareholders but, leaving aside those motivated by personal grievance, it's very difficult to see the latest protest being of the slightest benefit to Rangers as a whole. All I can see is on the negative side of the ledger - fostering discontent & division, undermining supporter confidence and adding to the stress of those working for the club. To that extent I hope it stops here.

Has always been the same surely?

 

What did the futile protests both in print and outside Ibrox against David Murray achieve? Absolutely nothing (apart from abuse thrown at me and others involved from all angles).

 

The Sons of Stuth and general support protests against the Spivs was successful as it highlighted the need for change and thankfully King, Park and others answered the call for help.

 

Rangers fans don't tend to do public protests, they just stop showing up at games (early to mid-80s and Spivs reign as a couple of examples).

 

 

[craig 5,199]

2 hours ago, Bluedell said:

Robertson - I presume that he generally acts in line with the instructions received from the RIFC board, similarly to the way that Bain acted under the instructions from Murray for much of his time (apart from the time at the end). Replacing him is just going to bring in someone who acts in a similar manner. I'm unsure what replacing him will achieve.

 

Wilson - is he responsible for bringing in players or is it the managers? According to him, it's the managers, and I've not heard much to suggest that this isn't true. Do we give him credit for putting together a squad that unbelievably only lost a European final on penalties, or do we criticise him for overpaying for Matondo? It seems that he gets criticised for everything bad that happens and the managers get the credit for everything good. There are definitely areas in which he can be criticised but is it really enough to warrant posters and banners? I 'm not sure.

 

Spending - we as a support are a bunch of hypocrites. We demand that we must never be in massive debt again but as soon as we have a board of bluenoses who are now using the self-sufficiency model that they promised the protests start. What did people think self-sufficiency meant?

 

The RIFC board - these are guys who, together with King, have put or arranged around £59 million into the club to help us get from where we were in 2015 to league winners and European finalists. They don't have the resources or the willingness to put more into the club. If there were any other investors out there who wanted to put cash in and had the best interests in the club at heart they would have appeared in 2010  or 2015. I may be wrong but there aren't any alternatives at the moment, other than the likes of Green or Ashley who just see it as a cash-grab. 

 

I see the crazy allegations that they're taking cash out the club. In addition to the millions that they've put in, they have lent the club money when other alternatives haven't been available, and they are then repaid in line with what was agreed, and some try and spin that as a bad thing. I really don't get it.

 

The board aren't perfect and and have many faults but they are all that we have at the moment.  We've made significant inroads at reducing the gap between  us and the other mob but it's not going to close overnight and no amount of protesting is going to bring more cash into the club. 

 

 

 

 

Superb post BD 👏