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JohnMc

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Posts posted by JohnMc

  1. Reach are significantly more than the Record and Sunday Mail, they're actually one of the biggest printers in the UK. Put simply Reach have printing capacity they need to fill and Rangers need someone to print and distribute their programmes. The contract printing side of Reach is quite separate from the newspaper publishing side, I'd be very surprised if anything changes in our current relationship with the Record and Mail (reach also own the Daily Mirror, Daily Star and Daily Express plus their Sunday equivalents and a raft of major local titles). Their CEO is a guy called Jim Mullen, from Hamilton, I've never met him but I don't think he's particularly Rangers friendly shall we say. 

    I guess the club have weighed up the cost saving against the supporter anger and decided which is more important to them. Somethings never change. 

  2. Richard Gordon isn't on Go Radio, I think it's Rob McLean, easy to confuse them to be fair. 

     

    As a commercial station I suspect Go Radio will endeavour to be far more balanced than BBC Scotland, if only from a revenue perspective. Alienating the Rangers support won't be good for business or please advertisers (or indeed new commercial partners...). Paul Cooney is a talented producer and despite his personal leanings Clyde's football coverage was much fairer than BBC Scotland's when he was in charge of it. I've yet to hear their new show, I see they've got Si Ferry and Barry Ferguson on so my heart has sunk already, but at some point in the coming weeks i'll give it listen. If it's to be successful it will need to appeal to us, you can't alienate the biggest club in the country's support if you're not being financed by the licence fee. You'd hope Haughey and co understand that. 

     

  3. 21 hours ago, Bluedell said:

    I've seen Goldson's comments that it's "about equality, not politics" but he's making a gesture that supports a political movement. He claims that there's ignorance but perhaps it's him that's being ignorant of (some of) the concerns (although not denying that there are other reasons for some people's opposition to it). and what many think the gesture means.

     

    I'd guess that peer pressure/social media have forced some players into following the herd, and that's not very "democratic". I understand Goldson's reasons for doing it but perhaps he should make a greater effort to understand the views of those who are against the BLM organisation.

     

    Likewise, do the club have a realistic option not to support BLM? I've got no idea what the board think about it, but they don't have an option but to support it, and I'm uncomfortable with that and again it's no really how a "democratic society" should function.

     

    It was interesting to see the F1 drivers wearing anti-racism t-shirts but only Hamilton wore a BLM one and most appeared not to take the knee. 

    I don't think you can equate Rangers with Formula 1. FIFA equate to Formula 1, Rangers are a car in it. 

     

    Of course the club have an option. Not everyone feels like they're being railroaded into this BD, many, many people have looked at this and can see the merits of it and accept the sentiment it makes. Judging by Stewart Robertson's statement earlier it suggests the board are comfortable with this. 

     

    Conor Goldson has told you what the phrase means to him and why he's using it. If that's still not good enough explanation for you I don't know what else to say. 

  4. So good they named them twice. Or something like that. I never use 'Glasgow' when referring to us, we're The Rangers, every other Rangers is defined by their subsequent relationship to us. That said I did enjoy it when UEFA used to call us simply 'Glasgow' during Champion's League draws and matches back in the 90s. It really annoyed some our fellow citizens, that's never a bad thing. 

     

    Speaking of fellow citizens I was raised in the north of the city and knew quite a few Partick Thistle fans growing up. Everyone I knew simply referred to them as 'Thistle', there was no need for 'Partick' to be said, who else could we have been referring too after all. But i've noticed this has changed over the years and now hear many in the media describe them as 'Partick', it's something that sounds so wrong to my ear. 

  5. Well now, this thread's taken an unexpected turn since I last visited.

     

    So if Covid 19 is a global hoax, who is behind it and why?

     

    I lost a friend to Covid 19, he didn't have any underlying health issues beforehand, his death was sudden and shocking. Three other family friends also died of it, they were older and did have underlying health issues. They all lived in the same small town, two in a care home, and the virus swept through taking the lives of a number of older people in a short space of time. I guess I'm struggling to accept it doesn't exist or is in fact just your normal winter flu. But I'm fascinated to see your workings on this @Gaffer and trying to remain open-minded. You're not stupid so you must understand why posts as incendiary as yours have created reactions ranging from disbelief to anger. No one likes being called a fool, and that's what you're inferring we all are. I'm fairly cynical and hold a high degree of scepticism towards politicians but even I'm struggling to accept Boris Johnson and his cabinet and advisors are covering up thousands of deaths, ruining the economy and upsetting millions of voters on purpose and that he's managed to get Nicola Sturgeon and the Irish Taoiseach in on it with him. 

     

  6. 11 hours ago, MacK1950 said:

     

    Clubs don't have to worry about broadcaster in respect of the current situation as Sky/BT and even Auntie do a more than good job of promoting BLM.

     

    Regards toilets I too remember the wall and trough at the back of the Govan terracing as you had to endure the drips from above, as well, from those pissing at the back of the terracing.

    Oh, I think if we took some strong stance against supporting black players right to protest for example the broadcast partners wouldn't be happy with us. 

  7. 6 minutes ago, Bluedell said:

    I've never come across class as being a barrier.

     

    If Defoe want to do something personally then that's fine. However the club should not be supporting an organisation like BLM UK due to their policy of wanting to defund the police or supporting Palestine.

     

    Do you believe that Rangers should be supporting the defunding of police or an anti-Israel/pro-Palestine agenda?

     

    Should they be involving themselves in Israeli politics?

     

    Spoken as a man. Would you find it amusing if you were a woman and a guy with a dress on was allowed to walk into the same toilets as you?

    Jeez, BD you're grumpy this morning! 

     

    I'm delighted to read that you've never found class a barrier in your life, others will have different experiences. With only one UK Prime Minister this century not attending a private, fee paying school at some point (the only one who didn't was Gordon Brown and he wasn't elected) I'd suggest the class system remains in place. That's not to say social mobility doesn't exist.

     

    If you extrapolate Rangers supporting Jermaine Defoe, or any of our players, use of the statement 'Black Lives Matter' as supporting defunding the police or having any interest in Middle Eastern politics I'd say you're mistaken. On some subjects I describe myself as conservative, on others as liberal, this doesn't mean I support either of the parties that carry those words in their name. Likewise I'm entirely comfortable with the phrase Black Lives Matter and the sentiment behind it, without it conferring my support for anything else they might espouse. It's possible to support organisations without agreeing with everything they say or do. 

     

    When I lived in Belfast a couple of decades ago now it amused me to see the Israeli flag flown from lamp posts in Loyalist areas of the city. I'm fairly certain it was solely as a response to the Palestinian flag being flown in Republican areas. If one side said 'black' the other side had to say 'white', that's how it was. I've seen the Star Of David flag at the occasional Rangers match too, as I'm sure you have. I suppose if it becomes a big topic here, something the population and the support become involved in it's inevitable the club will become involved on a superficial level at least. But no, it's not something I'm in a hurry for any of us to get involved in.

     

    I can only speak as a man. My rather flippant remark was meant to highlight how far football toilets have come in 40 years, not who uses them. In all honesty I struggle with the 'trans debate', it's so niche and irrelevant to my day to day life, I also don't think I'm alone in that. On balance I'm yet to be convinced a biological man should freely use female only facilities, particularly if it makes females uncomfortable. That's my view just now, it might change as I learn more about the subject, or it might not. 

  8. 15 hours ago, Scott7 said:

    What about reception outwith greater Glasgow?

     

    I may not want to tune in to Radio HeeHaw but I should have the chance to, as the Sun, Record etc would put it ,“snub” him.

    They've got a limited broadcast area, these things are licensed. It'll be similar geographically to Radio Clyde if that helps.  

  9. 16 hours ago, Uilleam said:

    Haughey, you say?

     

    Include me out. 

    Yeah, he's a bit too Unionist and Royalist for my tastes as well (winky face)

     

    I can't claim to know him but I have been in his company a couple of times. I once saw him outbid everyone at a charity auction to get the 'Rangers' lot much to my surprise. As far as I know he's not presenting any of the shows. 

  10. Go Radio, a digital station with a greater Glasgow broadcast footprint, was taken over by (Lord) Willie Haughey and (Sir) Tom Hunter last year. They've fairly big plans for it, plans that have been hampered by the Covid lockdown, but are now finally being rolled out. They see sport, specifically football, as being key to the station's growth and success. They're investing in 'talent' and production people and, if rumours are to be believed, have their eye on securing commentary rights for SPFL matches. Apart from the co-owners having deep pockets they also have excellent connections at Hampden, having helped fund the purchase the stadium from Queens Park a couple of years ago, so getting a sympathetic hearing might not be hard for them, plus the game is desperate for money so any new revenue is likely to be very welcome. I understand they see the dynamic between Rangers and BBC Scotland as providing an opportunity for them to attract listeners. The 'talent' I've heard mentioned doesn't suggest this is going to be some kind of Rangers love-in, but if it at least provides live commentary of matches and interviews with our manager and players it might be very welcome.

    Time will tell. 

  11. I read recently that one aspect of 'no crowds' has been the removal of 'home' advantage. Apparently the presence of a partisan and noisy home support has a bigger affect on professional footballers than was first thought. In theory, with us facing a trip to Parkhead in the first round of matches, this might be of benefit to us. Swings and roundabouts of course as 50,000 at Ibrox must have had an affect on visiting sides in the past, so taking that away might even it out a bit too. Indeed, for a significant number of domestic away fixtures we're hardly in the minority in the ground, so perhaps this won't be of much benefit to us. 

  12. I can't speak for Castore but I suspect they've experienced a significant number of production challenges during the last few months. Covid 19 has led to a number of clothing production plants closing completely and on reopening not only have they huge back-logs to clear but doing so with fewer staff due to shielding and social distancing issues as well as supply chain disruption. Again, I don't know for sure if this applies to Castore, but most clothing manufacturing for the UK market is done in Bangladesh. Not only are their issues in transport and import currently but the supply chain into clothing manufacturing has been badly hit too. A lot of fabric, thread, elastic etc is manufactured in China, their lockdown has badly hit the entire garment industry. If Castore are struggling to meet demand it's not a huge surprise and they should probably be cut some slack under the circumstances. 

     

    With second, third and goalkeeper kits still to be launched far less leisure wear, tracksuits etc I suspect they'll do well to have product ready for the Christmas market, probably still the most important time of the year for retail. 

  13. Isn't Donalda MacKinnon a 'Hearach' 26th? I believe she is. A one time pupil and teacher at the Nicolson in Stornoway too. Her husband is Seumas MacInnes. Donalda is a lovely person for what it's worth.

     

    I expect the Sport department will feel the squeeze too and will need to make cuts. Whether that will be anything tangible the average listener will notice I doubt, but I expect there will be a few more freelancers on the roster in the coming months. 

  14. PR has a reactive and proactive element to it. For the proactive side I feel a large part of it should be about rebuilding the influence a club the size and importance of Rangers should have. That needs to start with the SFA and the SPFL and UEFA. We should also look to have very strong relationships with the main sponsors, potential sponsors and broadcast/media partners for the various leagues and competitions we play in, ultimately they hold a lot of clout so should be a main focus for us. Follow the money, always follow the money. 

    Secondly we should be looking to at least punch our weight politically and in greater civic society. That will require forming relationships with individuals and organisations within those realms. We’ve not been good at that for a while now, we need a very different strategy to what has gone before to see any improvements in this. In my experience politicians hate surprises and like to be be seen to have influence and be in the know. Facilitate that as much as we can, build relationships on a personal level and on a corporate level, no matter how unpopular that might be with some supporters. 

    Thirdly the media. Whether we like it or not they influence and shape opinion. Anyone who thinks there are no Rangers supporters in the Scottish media is very wrong. There are also a number of people who are not Rangers supporters but are professional enough to do their jobs well. Without the media it is harder to build influence with sponsors for example. So somewhere along the way compromise needs to be found. 

     

    Reactive PR generally requires excellent relationships with the media. For a football club negative PR tends to come from player or supporter behaviour. Having the ability to manage or control to some extent how that’s reported is essential. I think it's all very well keeping Rangers bloggers and podders onside, and they do have influence with the support, however whether we like it or not mainstream media hold far more sway with sponsors and governing bodies, we need them, for now at least. 

    That’s my 20 minute PR strategy.

     

    Edit - to achieve that you need people who know the landscape and know the personalities in it. Ideally they've done some, or all of it before somewhere else. These people exist.  

  15. 15 hours ago, Dave M609 said:

    John I understand your concerns about it but I don't think rangers need to be building any bridges, we have seen over the last 8 years how many clubs aren't willing to build bridges and kick us when we are down, actually in the current climate I hope a few of them go to the wall. The appointment does fee like we are going on the offensive a bit, which is good because I feel we have been passive for to long. Not knowing much about him other than what I have read and hear on HH podcasts we will see how he goes. 

    I don't see the PR function being used for building bridges with other clubs. That's done at Director and coach/manager level, and if we wanted to do that we could with the people we've got now. The PR function can be used to build bridges, or at least influence, with media, politicians, supporters, local community, UEFA and other groups and organisations with the ability to help the club. But, as Frankie, and others, have eloquently explained, there's not much appetite for that among a good percentage of the support. This is not the first time I've held an unpopular opinion on Gersnet!! 

  16. Look, let me be clear, I have nothing against David Graham and genuinely wish him every success in the new role, and I mean that. If my comments on this thread have been read as criticism of him then let me apologise and clarify. This is a messageboard for fans to get things off their chest and waste some time, I'm under no illusions at all that I have any influence, nor do I want any. I, perhaps mistakenly, view this is place as a chat among friends (or at least acquaintances). 

    I think Rangers PR strategy has been flawed for a long time and I'm not convinced our PR strategy is changing in the direction I think it should. I expect the head of PR or Communications (or whatever the title is) will have input into our strategy but ultimately it'll be decided by our board and they'll be tasked with delivering it. For that reason I think David Graham has been chosen because the board feel he'll be good at delivering the strategy they've decided on. So, to be clear, it's the strategy, not the individual, I have issue with. 

     

    As I've said in both posts before this one I expect the strategy will be popular with a good percentage of the support. The replies on this thread already testify to that. No one likes us, we don't care, is, for me, a terrible PR strategy, but it's what I think we're going for. I could be wrong, I'm simply guessing like everyone else. 

     

    Again, I genuinely wish David Graham all the best. 

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