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It would hardly undermine the manager if Stewart Robertson or someone on the board did an interview in Rangers TV where they explained the board's delight at finally qualifying but their disappointment at the performances in the Champion's League. The reality check regarding the levels we are striving to reach, the challenges the coaching team have faced regarding injuries to the squad and the confidence the board have in GvB and the need for patience and backing from the support while injured players return to the team. I mean that's hardly controversial or indeed unexpected. A lot of the support might not agree with it but it would let everyone know where they stand. As ever directors can change their mind at any time in the future. For me the fact they haven't done this is more telling regarding how the board are feeling about things. I wonder if there's a split in the board currently regarding our manager.

Personally, I believe the Rangers Charity Foundation is the standard for our "brand" and "values". They / we support local, national and global causes and the work that the Rangers family do with Erskine is another pillar of our values. Historic association with Royalist and Loyalist causes is still part of a % of our fan base, but like all historical links, gets diluted generation after generation. Our reputation in Scotland has never bothered me. We were "disliked" as we were once seen as the establishment club and we are the most successful team in Scotland. We are now disliked as we are seen (rightly or wrongly) as the last and largest bastion (is that the correct term) of Unionism in Scotland, so we are a threat to Nationalism, SNP and independence. There may be a few generalisms thrown in there, but that's my viewpoints!

I don't read other team/fans forums and also don't see other boardrooms making comments in the media so why does our fans make such a clamour to have our dirty washing made public to the world?.

There's only one statement I want them to make but the longer we don't get it, the more I think GvB will still be manager when league fixtures recommence.

Every Rangers manager’s position is precarious if the team is not top of the league and out performing the nearest competition. Supporters know that. The Board knows that. It’s useless to make statements about it..

If the directors change their mind, after explaining, then their credibility suffers. Why risk that to placate fans? If the board are being asked to tell us things that are neither controversial nor unexpected then it is completely pointless. Demanding that the board do something completely pointless is dumb.

I often hear fans discussing the Rangers identity - what the club stands for – and I find myself wondering what values, if any, the club actually does represent. What exactly is the Rangers brand? I recently watched a Prime video on the life and career of Sir Alex Ferguson “Never Give In”. In football terms it obviously focussed on his achievements as a manager at Aberdeen and Manchester United but there were also hugely negative references to his experiences at Rangers, casting the club as a vindictive cultural dinosaur that was driven by sectarian preferences. I make no comment on the veracity of this but I felt it was nevertheless quite damaging. It made me wonder where we are as a club and attendant community. While this is bound to be a subjective matter, it does seem to me that we had a clear set of values in the Struth/Symon era, values that were generally recognised in a positive sense by much of the external football community. Since the sacking of Scot Symon (coincident with the SAF era) there’s a body of opinion that we have often struggled as a club to maintain a positive brand. I’d be interested to see the opinions of other members.

I’ve been thinking about this. My answer is I don’t know. Sixty years ago the easy answer is Protestantism and Unionism but that’s more to do with the club’s adherents than the club itself. I don’t think any club had a brand other than football with the exception of the two Greens. Perhaps Rangers and Hearts developed brands so as to be in contrast to the two others. I don’t think there is much overt Protestantism nowadays. Unionism flourishes but it’s not sold as a club brand. Anyone know what the Arsenal brand is?

Football is a unique business and supporting a football club is a unique state of mind. I have been a Rangers supporter since time immemorial. I don’t know how it came about. The advice of big brother I suspect. Why I took that advice ahead of father (Spider) mother (Hibbee) big sister (Aberdeen) I don’t quite know. I liked the sound of the name and. I liked the colour blue. I could reel off the Iron Curtain well before I was completely proficient in multiplication tables. And that’s it. I couldn’t change. I’ve never wanted to change even though I admit the many triumphs are always marred by the memory of disasters and strangely, worse, spells of mediocrity and the anticipation that they could all happen again So there it is. I don’t own the club. I’m not a shareholder. The club owes me nothing. In the days when I attended matches, I paid my gate money and in exchange, got to see a game of football. I very rarely buy merchandise - too tatty mostly and I don’t wear team shirts - but if I were to buy something I would get the use of the article and the club doesn’t have to acknowledge my great generosity. Oh, I can rant and rave with the worst but I know that’s all I can do. Rangers - take them or leave them. I won’t leave them so I just have to take them.

Why? I think what’s important is they do their jobs well and deliver a winning team while keeping the club financially secure. In the end, the harsh truth is the directors are accountable to the shareholders not the fans.

I don’t think that’s entirely true. I remember Rangers being universally lauded during our tour of the Soviet Union. Things definitely changed with Celtic’s Lisbon triumph and original NIAR, as well as the polarisation of the Ulster Troubles. But there was a time when the Rangers brand was almost synonymous with Scotland’s in footballing terms. In any case, all of that is less important that whether Rangers currently has a clear identity and direction, both of which are surely crucial in underpinning a coherent business plan.

I watched it, and didn't see the portrayal of Rangers in that way. I think it was accurate. Guy grew up in a rough town, supporting Rangers. He got his shot, and failed at the club. He then used that as a driver to fire (partially) him toward success. I think his failure at Rangers scared the shit out of him because it was his first. Concurrently, he saw the alternative, a life in those ship yards, pounding rivets, just like dad. Nothing inaccurate about the 'brutality' of Rangers. It is an unforgiving club, with and equally unforgiving fanbase. You meet the standard, or get your ass up the road. Alex found his path, and Rangers were a part of that.

It does of they refuse to talk to shareholders (as they have with Club1872).

So only accountable to shareholders who they believe aren't a waste of time, and only at AGM? Not very accountable are they....

I think a guy like Dyche is tailor made for the SPL. I think he could get in and win...ugly. Which is what Scots football is...ugly. Which I say lovingly. However, I can already read the tea leaves on a Dyche appointment. "Too much respect" "We should be pumpin this lot 4-0" yada yada Boring guys don't get the breaks...especially if they lose. The rope would be close on a Dyche appointment...IDC if he coached in the EPL. Burnley fans were appreciative because he gave them what they never had in bunches, and may never have again...survival in the top flight. Rangers fans are big titty spoiled. I just don't feel like hearing the bullshit from fans.

I think the concerns of most fans who are unaffected by snowflake fever is the disruption to domestic competition - remember the reluctance to even having a short winter break in the PL or EFL - let alone this mega break. Also, I feel It is really too late to challenge the modern slavery issue of this WC as it started immediately Qatar was announced with only occasional MSM interest and now the stadia and infrastructure are complete, its too late for Lineker, Neville etc to bang the drum as many people have already died under the kafala system producing the seats these rich bums will be planted on pontificating.

They will need an Ian Ferguson type to play between them.

Long for the day when talent like him plays alongside talent like Tillman.

One of these things is unlike the others. The board are accountable to shareholders.

Social media. Rarely hear stuff like this on supporters buses or in pubs.

We have seen this kind of thing before with the board with the whole Murty stuff and it ended quite badly for Murty and a few players, like Miller/Wallace who ended up leaving and Halliday having a fallout with him too. We have already seen Kamara, Lundstram and Tav show dissent towards the manager and team mates. Poor show.

Aye. This board are good at keeping things quiet but not that good.

We have really missed Hagi. Hope he has a really successful return.

I think we a know what the club can and can't "engage" with fans on. I don't think any fan wants the board to discuss and engage on every opinion or release sensitive data etc. However, complete silence from the board is unacceptable. There are many long-term issues and problems surrounding our club (well publicised) that are continually ignored (or so it seems) by the board. We have a ticketing system that is not fit for purpose, we have disabled access and match experience that is not fit for purpose, we have a PR Department that is not fit for purpose, we have match day catering that is not fit for purpose. We have a board who refuse to enter into discussion with fan groups on safe standing area(s). These are an example of the areas who the club could (and should?) enter into dialogue / engage with fans. There is bo exact answer, but complete silence isn't the answer

Can we rename this topic 'Rangers announce friendly with Bayer Leverkusen during winter break ,and who i'd like to replace GvB '.

I doubt I will have much time to watch much of it due to family commitments. Apologies for previously saying I would but circumstances have changed.

Thanks. I just want to reiterate .... when this happens I actually do get logged in, just not transferred to the forums page. So, on receiving this error message, if I search on forums I then get straight in.

I wonder if Bermuda will be represented in this, for good reasons, not corruption. The Bermuda General Secretary and President at the time played a fairly significant role in uncovering this. The General Secretary was "thrown a bung" by way of a brown envelope by one of Jack Warner's entourage at a concacaf meeting - General Secretary immediately gets the Bermuda FA President (an eminent lawyer in Bermuda) to come to his room and to inform him of what had just taken place. The two of them reported it up the chain and, I believe, is what kickstarted the investigation. The reason Warner wielded so much power is because Concacaf has 44 FIFA votes due to the caribbean islands and they always vote "en masse" which means Blatter could buy his way into remaining as FIFA President..... Trinidad & Tobago has a stadium which I believe is named after Jack Warner.... no big deal you would think... .until you dig in and find out that the stadium, financed by FIFA, is actually OWNED by Warner.... FIFA were so poor with contracts that Warner managed to use FIFA money to pay for the stadium, and put the ownership in his own name. This documentary will be a cracking watch hopefully.