Action Not Apathy

[North Rd 2,860]

Action, Not Apathy

By Andy McKellar | Deputy Editor

The trials and tribulations encountered by Rangers in recent years has ensured that the role of our loyal support extends beyond simply turning up on a match-day and supporting the team we all adore. Our fans are the one constant in the proud history of our great institution and our backing last summer was crucial in ensuring our survival despite being banished to the lower leagues. We must again step up to the plate.

The Murray years perhaps dulled our senses and instilled an unfortunate apathy and acceptance within our fan-base. It was taken for granted that a club like ours could not encounter the type of financial meltdowns that occurred elsewhere and, with hindsight, we perhaps simply assumed that Murray would sort things out himself.

On 14th February 2012 however everything changed; the unthinkable notion that Rangers could disappear was staring us square in the face. A sleeping giant seemed to awaken that day as our supporters put aside petty differences and fought for a common goal, standing shoulder to shoulder in an attempt to keep our Club alive. If that dark cloud indeed carried a silver lining then this was certainly it.

The Rangers fans rallied and continued their tremendous support despite our newly designated fourth-tier status, sending record numbers of fans to Ibrox over and over. It was utterly remarkable and attracted attention and praise from around the globe as journalists flocked to cover the story of our fall and imminent rise. Our responsibilities however extend beyond that. This is our Club and we must act as its custodians, standing firm as those who truly have Rangers’ best interests at heart.

The despicable and shameless actions of Craig Whyte were an eye-opener for many who naively supported him or at least refused to believe that anything untoward was occurring under his watch. I know — I was one of them. At every turn I foolishly sought some reason, whether logical or otherwise, to justify what was going on. Look how that turned out.

Nobody charged with running Rangers should again operate unchallenged or unquestioned. Our support should forever carry a healthy skepticism and remain vigilant in defence of our proud institution. It is only right that we ask questions of our board and seek clarity on the financial security and future of our Club. And there’s certainly no time like the present.

We were promised transparency and prudence. There would be no excesses at Rangers we were told. Such talk has proved to be nothing more than propaganda as information is gradually being pieced together to form a worrying picture. It is time to find our voice again.

Last season our Club’s turnover would have been in the region of £20 million with a further £22 million coming in via the IPO in December. To have burned through that total in around a year in the fourth-tier is very alarming and we’re still awaiting the accounts, now overdue by the board’s timescale, to tell us just where it has gone.

The journey through the lower leagues was always going to be financially challenging and so there had to be a prudent approach to spending and an emphasis on living within our means. So far we’ve seen quite the opposite. To be posting significant losses and have executive directors award themselves 100 percent bonuses on top of already lucrative salaries is quite frankly disgraceful. Maybe they’ve been taking tips from the bankers.

A concerned group of fans, the ‘Sons of Struth’, have recently been gathering support at meetings, meetings termed by our board as “inciting fans to unruly behaviour.” On Saturday they arranged a protest against the current board. The online community has regularly thrown up vocal concerns from many outlets for quite a while now but it is not always easy use that as a gauge of the wider Rangers support. Today the people spoke.

On the 18th and 72nd minutes banners were unfurled throughout the stadium calling for the board to be sacked:

“Spivs Out”

“Sack the Board”

“We want our Rangers back”

Those were the cries. It was a surprisingly vocal display against a dysfunctional group of directors and it would appear concerns are not simply consigned to the vociferous online debates many of you will see on a daily basis. This may just have been the turning point.

If these concerns are misplaced and if the board are performing well then I’m sure they will be capable of supplying evidence to inform fans and investors of this. If our worries are unfounded then I urge the board to provide the transparency that they originally promised us. Produce the accounts, explain our current situation and provide us with your plans to fund the Club going forward. That shouldn’t be too much to ask.

The waters have been muddied, perhaps deliberately, with the official challenge to the board fronted by Jim McColl and Paul Murray. The current board, with the help of Jack Irvine, have conveniently shifted the focus onto individuals rather the problems that currently exist. Furthermore there is often an assumption that criticism of the current regime is support for the other side of the divide. Again, this is most unhelpful and often inaccurate.

So let’s forget the so-called “MiniCo” and their perceived failings and concentrate on the matters at hand. We must continue to question the current board whether you support them or not. It is our duty to ask questions and to put our Club before any regime or group of directors. This isn’t about picking sides. This is about supporting Rangers, in every sense of the word.

I would much rather ask difficult questions and be shown that there is nothing to worry about than sit on our hands and allow our institution to be exploited and pillaged by its supposed custodians. It is therefore imperative that we remain vigilant and seek the answers that we deserve.

Together we have a very powerful voice. Let’s use it.

Action, not apathy.

Tags: AMCKEL, Andy McKellar, Fans Voice, the board, The more things change the more they stay the same, undelivered promises

http://www.thecoplandroad.org/2013/09/action-not-apathy.html

[scarkev 3,540]

There is a lot of fair points in that article but at the same time there is a fair bit of contradiction.....at the end he summarises that he would rather ask difficult questions and find out everything is alright....yip I agree, ask away, that's not the problem.....the problem is many are jumping a step ahead and demanding resignations before getting any answers and purely basing their views on the rhetoric and scaremongering coming from another group of would be directors.....are there any guarantees they will be any better?

The disappointing thing about yesterday's 'protest' was that the timing was very poor in relation to armed forces day and far too many had no idea what they were actually protesting about but just being led by others!

[Guardian 4,281]

Why ask questions ?

The board have already said when the accounts will be out.

They cannot and will not comment beforehand.

No point calling for sackings until we know what they have done and have replacements in mind.

[North Rd 2,860]

As i said on another post by D'Art, if the Audited accounts will be out on 12th Oct as stated by Stockbridge, doesnt this mean that they have been signed off by the Auditors and also mean there is NO signs of Insolvency in the coming 12 months ?

[AlBear. 8,499]

After SDM and CW our support in general may never trust anyone in control/owning our club again. At least for the next generation or two for certain. Peter, Moses, McBeath and Campbell could come back and they'd still be treated with scepticism by sections of the support.

While correct a healthy scepticism towards those in charge is only apt after everything we can't allow that to become an unhealthy obsession.

[Bluepeter9 5,167]

No one minds questions being asked - in fact in the board we have a team that met fans just a few shirt weeks ago in a move on transparency that we have never seen before - we have better direct communications orchestrated by JT and we have an upcoming open AGM and we are a public not private company.

However what we are asked by various factions without one iota of proof is to 'sack he board' and I find that impossible to back - if the SOS had asked for more transparency that is easy to back but they ask us to back a conclusion , not a quest for openness - in fact in my opinion all these factions mean the current board are spending time fighting internal fights rather than driving us forward and that in itself is worrying.

Roll on the accounts and Agm!

[legalbeagle 3,734]

Questions should definitely be asked, and answered.

What is important is that the answers are properly reviewed and in context. What was the cost of setting up as a newco? What capital assets have been bought? Is a substantial loss in year 1 acceptable against a year 2,3,4 and 5 business plan that is sustainable? What are the forward going revenue streams? Do they include further share issues?

Given the upheaval and unique costs I am willing up believe that we could have legitimately burned through £20m to £30m in a year 1 newco set up (carryover wages, signing on fees, football debts, capital purchases, running costs, etc) the key is that there aren't ambiguous holes.

Unfortunately, people will try to boil it down to a sentence.

[The Beast 9,266]

Why can't the OP make it clear he is cutting and pasting a blog. I don't want to read this pish.

[SE5 107]

Where were you when David Murray was selling our crown jewels, feeding us to the dogs of the Scottish mhedia and selling us off to Spiv Number 1?

[Bluepeter9 5,167]

Where were you when David Murray was selling our crown jewels, feeding us to the dogs of the Scottish mhedia and selling us off to Spiv Number 1?

Where were you? It's quite an advisorial question unless you were manning the barricades

[ForeverBlue_Since91 2,895]

Why can't the OP make it clear he is cutting and pasting a blog. I don't want to read this pish.

Well don't.

[ForeverBlue_Since91 2,895]

Where were you when David Murray was selling our crown jewels, feeding us to the dogs of the Scottish mhedia and selling us off to Spiv Number 1?

Ah that old one again. I'm sure you were raging at Murray at the time eh?

[SE5 107]

Where were you? It's quite an advisorial question unless you were manning the barricades

But i am not running with yet another faction of our support.

Ah that old one again. I'm sure you were raging at Murray at the time eh?

As it happens, i was, yes.

[Blue Atheist 178]

No one minds questions being asked - in fact in the board we have a team that met fans just a few shirt weeks ago in a move on transparency that we have never seen before - we have better direct communications orchestrated by JT and we have an upcoming open AGM and we are a public not private company.

However what we are asked by various factions without one iota of proof is to 'sack he board' and I find that impossible to back - if the SOS had asked for more transparency that is easy to back but they ask us to back a conclusion , not a quest for openness - in fact in my opinion all these factions mean the current board are spending time fighting internal fights rather than driving us forward and that in itself is worrying.

Roll on the accounts and Agm!

I'm in the same boat. I just can't back a campaign that has no evidence to support its argument.

Its just our nature, Peter. We can't change who we are.

[Bluepeter9 5,167]

I'm in the same boat. I just can't back a campaign that has no evidence to support its argument.

Its just our nature, Peter. We can't change who we are.

Yep all those have faith - just believe types want our backing and yet provide no evidence - I suppose that is the essence of faith!

[North Rd 2,860]

Why can't the OP make it clear he is cutting and pasting a blog. I don't want to read this pish.

Eh,

By Andy McKellar | Deputy Editor

Bet your a bundle of fun....

[ForeverBlue_Since91 2,895]

Yep all those have faith - just believe types want our backing and yet provide no evidence - I suppose that is the essence of faith!

Should it not be the Rangers board providing us the fans with the evidence? If people accused you of doing someting wrong and you knew they were lying would you prove them wrong?

So far this board haven't done this.

[ForeverBlue_Since91 2,895]

Yep all those have faith - just believe types want our backing and yet provide no evidence - I suppose that is the essence of faith!

How Many people said this during Craig Whytes time here? No one including me wanted to believe all the stuff that was coming out about him.

But you learn lesson from that. It seems some people are just willing to back the board because they are the Rangers board.

It's a bit like people on here backing Ally McCoist when he's made bad decisions in certain games just because he is Ally McCoist and is a Rangers legend.

[BarneyRabble 126]

Who exactly is Andy McKellar?

[Malvern 11,329]

Should it not be the Rangers board providing us the fans with the evidence? If people accused you of doing someting wrong and you knew they were lying would you prove them wrong?

So far this board haven't done this.

Accusations with no foundation are farts in the wind :- Buddah c1220

could have been quarter to one, not sure my watch is slow.

[Dutchy 1,200]

I'm not one to go shouting 'sack the board', especially with little of no evidence of 'wrong doing', but I would like them to take a pay cut. Anyone paying themselves £500,000 a year for a 4th, now 3rd teir club in Scottish football doesn't appear to have all, or only Rangers interests at heart. Would it not be better to pay themselves less and build the brand/product up to the point where that sort of money is affordable?

[shankillblue1 349]

....and mini will solve all.

Mother ah fuck!!

[shankillblue1 349]

Who exactly is Andy McKellar?

Used to make sausages with some cunt called Watt!

[BarneyRabble 126]

Used to make sausages with some cunt called Watt!

Thanks.

[AMcK 92]

Thanks for posting the article and for the comments.

Personally I am find it increasingly difficult to support the current board but can understand that people want to wait for audited accounts before forming an opinion. That is perhaps why many fans will disagree with yesterday's protest.

We must however endeavour to seek answers, especially under the current circumstances. We've saw £40M+ come and go despite being in the fourth-tier and then of course we have issues like the Zeus loan as highlighted by the SoS leaflet yesterday.

I don't mind people making money if they are running the club well but to do so at the expense of the club is simply not acceptable.