CammyF

Just seen this on another forum and it highlights how we are missing out on potential money, new fans and good PR exposure ; --------------------- One of the areas highlighted was our lack of involvement with tourist organisations not only within Glasgow but around the country. I made sure that i had done my background work, and through contacts that i have due to previous employment within the industry i discovered that groups like City Tours would be more than happy to expand over the river to the Ibrox area. Only problem they have is a continual one : Ibrox Stadium is closed. Anyway,i brought this up and asked about us producing a leaflet, talking to these organistions and getting Rangers/Ibrox on the tourists radar. ''Anyone who wants a tour of Ibrox is catered for'' i was assured. I came home after the meeting, and that one comment above all else kept ringing in my head.Next day i rang the 0871 number and got through to ''Stadium Tours''. The following happened : Rangers : ''Hello Stadium Tours can i hlep you'' Bluebear : '' Hello there i'm looking to make a block booking for a Stadium Tour'' Rangers: '' What day are you wanting the Tour Sir ? '' (I was aware that they only do them on a Friday and a Sunday) Bluebear : ''Next Monday please'' Rangers: '' Can't help you we only do them two days a week, not on a monday'' Bluebear : '' Listen i operate a Tour company ( false of course) and i have 50 American Tourists arriving on sunday, they're only in Glasgow for two days and some have expressed a wish to visit the Stadium'' Rangers: '' I'm sorry, we can't help you' Bluebear : '' listen mate, between you and i i'm a bit of a Rangers man myself and i would also look at taking my party through the Rangers Shop and maybe up to the restuarant for some lunch, you know what these Americans are like with their money''. Rangers: '' We only do Tours on a friday and a sunday'' I thanked him, hung up and rang Celtic whose number i had beside me, gave them the exact same story and got this : Celtic : '' No problem mate, listen just give us 24 hours notice and i'll have someone at the front door to greet them, we can also do a discounted lunch''. Who gives a feck i hear many of you say ? I do. Believe me when i say that phone call and response is only scratching the surface. We're losing out big time in many areas within our own City, simply because the people at our Club can't be bothered. This is a Club that is in the financial grubber. Our City is gearing up for the Commonwealth Games and a major influx of Tourists. Are and will Rangers be 'READY' ? I'll let you make up your own minds. ------------------------------------------- Cammy F

Did the tour of The Allience Arena couple of years back and I'm sure you could pick up a cheap ticket for E20 for Bayern games and E10 for 1860 games (2nd division). Bayern also limit the number of season tickets they sell so to increase revenue from match to match sales. This also helps tourists, people who don't always go to games and I suppose, glory hunters get tickets as and when they want. As for supply and demand, IIRC, Porto had a waiting list for season tickets, and a healthy average attendence and I dont think they'll get much more from TV than we currently do. I don't have the answer, and can see both sides of the coin and I'll have huge regrets no matter what my decision is!! Cammy F

Officially, I'm still undecided There are many valid reasons not to renew and the only reason I have for renewing is, well, its what I do and have always done! Is this enough to justify renewing and giving SDM the pleasure in believing that we'll blindly folloe on no matter who badly he is running OUR club? Cammy F

The answer is a club that is managed properly. A club who don't assit strip and sell of the family silver. A club that has long term plans and ambitions. Look at clubs like Porto and Lyon who you would class as smaller than Rangers, who have managed to assemble teams (over the course of several seasons) that have dominated their domestic leagues whilst doing well in Europe. These clubs have also gotten recognised youth development as well as having an established scouting system in place. For what it's worth, when we visited Porto in the CL under AMc, the average price for a ticket to watch Porto in their brand new spanking stadium was E15. If these clubs can do it, why can't we? I also believe that there is more to supporting your club than turning up week-in week-out. As a fan and / or a customer, you have the right to question the way OUR club is run, to demand that the custodians share our culture, share our ambition and the likes. We must also expect that the custodians would defend us in the face of constant hostility from the press.

Another video from last night - the whole Hamburg team seated in front of their fans, their keeper takes a mega-phone from the crowd and leads them in a sing-song - [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEjar4dpQbU]YouTube - Hamburg Fans at Man City[/ame] Cammy F

They used to be all the rage - remember an OF game at Parkhead where the Rangers end was awash with inflateables (ranging from bananas, red hands, blow up dolls, champagne bottles and the likes).... Think some clubs and stadiums banned them due to health and safety....! Cammy F

I think it harks back to the 80's when inflatables (sic) were all the rage. Man City fans embraced the banana and have been taking them ever since. Think their fans asked for everyone going last night to bring along an inflatable banana with them! Cammy F

It is also worth remembering that under this current regime TBO have had 20 members banned from Ibrox for prolonged standing. The 20 members banned were picked at RANDOM and included some members that weren't even at the game in question. This is despite fans of visiting clubs, Aberdeen and Celtc in particular standing for the entire 90 minutes every time they visit Ibrox. TBO have also been referred to as causing more problems for the club than Hibs, Aberdeen and Celtc fans combined. Yip, thats right, the current regime believe that a band of fans who bring colour, noise, humour back to the stadium whilst giving the team the ONLY backing at Ibrox cause more problems than fans who sing songs celebrating the death of 66 Rangers fans and who sing songs in celebration of terrorists. I haven't even mentioned the casual element that two of those three bring to Ibrox. Also, this is a regime that watched as Rangers fans were victimised at Parkhead and were 90 times more likely to be arrested than Celtc fans. The man in charge of security at the match in question is now employed by RANGERS. The same man was in charge when Fernando Ricksen was struck by a lighter thrown from the Celtc fans. To this day, the culprit hasn't been identified. Niether has the person who throw a mobile phone at the recent OF game at Parkead, As for cost, in the past, Rangers rightly heralded Ibrox as a brilliant state of the art stadium. In the past few years, this has also been allowed to be eradicated. Ibrox is looking it's age and is badly in need of a make-over. Maybe I should tell SDM to take what he needs for this makeover from MY bank account. Cammy F

I expected more from PSG to be honest and thought that Kiev were far better than the Parisians. I didn't see the first leg, so can't comment on how PSG faired in that game, but as said above, was expecting more from them. They didn't look a patch on the PSG team we knocked out the UEFA Cup on penalties (in fairness, we're not a patch on the Rangers team that managed that). Cammy F

Not what I said at all - if Rangers were playing wonderful football, had a thriving youth development, had a team full of skillful players, I don't think anyone would mind paying the 'going rate'. I was merely pointing out that other clubs in better leagues offer better value for money and are willing to help fans who have bleed themselves dry supporting a club, in these current financial recession. SMD on the other hand still wants us to pay top $ for the current dross. Cammy F

In an ideal world, BF should have been rested and nursed back to fitness. However, his desire to play for Rangers and his managers (both AMc and WS) asked him to play thro the pain to help Rangers. Again, hardly actions of someone who believes he is bigger than the club. Ferguson is a ball-hogger, there is no doubting that, but that doesn't excuse the terrible contributions from his team-mates - however, many fans use this excuse and appear to blame Ferguson for everyone elses errors. Ferguson has his faults, there is no denying it - however, he gets some unfair press from RANGERS fans who want to blame him for every ill at the club. Ferguson doesn't pick the team, Ferguson doesn't sign players and Ferguson doesn't hire and fire managers although some would have you believe otherwise. Cammy F

That is letting SDM off the hook tho surely? It is his duty to explore, exploit and generate income from OTHER sources. Why must the fans pay for his missmanagement? Cammy F

a) not the only one that can be labelled at - as an example Steven Davis has been worse then Ferguson this season. however, the thought is that it's Barry Ferguson's fault that 'x', 'y' and 'z' areb't performing due to BF being a 'bully', ball-hogger' etc... b) I don't think he believes he is bigger than the club - he has played thro injuries, making himself unwell due to injections. Not the behaviour of someone who thinks he's bigger than the club. Maybe he should have hidden in the treatment room like others. c) hardly been proven - too many different stories from different sources. How would it have turned out if PLG had stayed? Who knows but I find it cringeworthy that PLG who ran out of Rangers is held in higher esteem than BF. Cammy F

Maybe if the abuse was equally shared across those who have made the same mistakes, it would be easier to defend. For some reason, Barry Ferguson is the centre of a campaign by RANGERS FANS to somehow paint him as the villan and the reason for all our ills. There has been none of the same vitriol aimed at Allan McGregor (or the other Rangers players involved in the initial drinking spree), only Barry Ferguson appears to be the target for some reason. As I said in another thread, some RANGERS fans won't be happy until Barry Ferguson is hung (drawn and quartered) from the famous Copland Road gates. Cammy F

It was only three years ago that we finished 3rd in the SPL, something that we hadn't 'achieved' since the days of Wallace and Greig. Inflation doesn't expalin why I'm paying �£400 pounds to watch SPL games. Supporters of Wigan can watch EPL games for as little as �£250. Hibs have just announced that they are reducing their season ticket prices and these will cost the same as they did 3 years ago. Villarreal have just annouced free season tickets for every unemployed fan. Our current financial problems aren't down to inflation, us fans not paying the going rate, but to gross missmanagement for the course of the last decade or so. As for Rangers fans being bigots, well, there are bigots in every support in every country. There are bigots in the Tartan Army - doesn't stop the media portraying them as ambassadors for Scotland. There will be bigots on your golf course, or eating in the same resteraunt as you, or sitting next to you on public transport. The Rangers traditions that I and you hold dear have been eradicated by the Murray Regime. I am not talking about The Billy Boys here, I am talking about the Ethos and Traditions set by Mr Struth and others. I feel removed from Rangers due to the self-loathing, surrender monkies who currently run Rangers and who unfortunately dominate our current fanbase. These surrender monkies have airbrushed the flag of Ulster from official publications and have banned The Dublin Loyal flag for having a legend that says 'Behind Enemy Lines' - a quote taken from an article published in praise of the Dublin Loyal in an Irish newspaper. Cammy F

The only problem with this is that SDM has stated that he'll only sell to someone that HE believes is going to be good for Rangers. This is worrying as I don't believe that what SDM believes to be good for Rangers, is the same as what I believe is good for Rangers. Will SDM sell to someone who publically states that they will reinstall the 'Rangers Ethos' and 'Rangers Traditions' when he's spent his entire time at Rangers eradicating those very ethos and traditions? Will he sell to someone who'll activelly try and bring back the ticket office, catering, merchindise etc into the club fold, thus denying SDM his cut from those organistaions that currently own / run these outlets? Cammy F

The product we are being served is dross compared to previous Rangers teams. The product has been stripped bare recently, and isn't the same product it was say a decade ago. Yet, we have to pay substantially more for this watered down product. The feeling of being part of Rangers has also been removed. I have never felt more removed from the club as I do at the moment. I feel that I am attacked constantly in the media and portrayed as a sectarian bigot just because I support Rangers. The club allow and encourage this to happen. Even in the dark and distant days of the early and mid 80's (where I paid �£10 for a Rover Season Ticket), whilst the product was poor you had a feeling that the good days were just around the corner. I no longer have this feeling. In fact, I have the opposite feeling, that things are only going to get worse. When you supported Rangers in those days, even the dark times, you knew you were part of something special, something different and something that only you and your fellow fans shared. Again, this has been removed, and I know, it has been removed by the very success that we crave. The well documented problems facing us travelling away from Ibrox domestically and in Europe take away any pleasure from what used to be great away trips. These used to be the highlight of my weekend. Now I can barely muster the energy and effort to drag myself along to the away games. Rangers haven't mirrored the real Rangers for a long time and the eradication is almost complete. If it isn't this season, I feel the end of my attending Rangers games is close and get closer. Cammy F

That there are no other takers perhaps. Cammy F

Exactly, win our next 6 SPL games and we'll be Champions. Cammy F

Some players recover more quickly than others, so are naturally fitter than others, some players will play while feeling a tweak, others will take a fortnight out to recover. Miller has always been a fit player and one who has recovered quickly when injured. Not forgetting his previous performance at Easter Road where he scored two wonderful goals. Cammy F

Hairs standing on end, goose-bumps and tears in my eyes – the bygone days of yore, when will we see the likes again? Listening to the introduction by Jim White regarding the state of Rangers prior to 1987 is scarily familiar to most of the current deficiencies. An unfit squad (witness Souness outrunning them), an un-ambitious board, players who simply weren’t good enough to play for Rangers, all in all, a real sleeping giant. Oh, and how cool was Souness..,… [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY_2JZauDzQ&feature=related]YouTube - The Rangers Revival (1987) Part 1 of 3[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG6xvVc_LSo&feature=related]YouTube - The Rangers Revival (1987) Part 2 of 3[/ame] [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1g8YIftTbc&feature=related]YouTube - The Rangers Revival (1987) Part 3 of 3[/ame] Cammy F

Shock Horror - Big Brother sticks up for wee brother - what's the world coming to eh? Cammy F

There is/was off course a real and tangable relationship between The Rangers and The Arsenal, and I believe that we still have a stake in Arsenal FC. I have spoken to many fans of many English clubs over the years and whilst some fans of many have slight feelings for Rangers (Arsenal, West Ham, Spurs, West Brom, Sheffield Wednesday, Man City, Liverpool and even Man United), the only English club who have what I'd describe as a real friendship would be Chelsea. This developed out of the Bradford City disaster charity game at Stamford Bridge (what a night that was) and a return game at Ibrox the following season (another great occasion). In fact, when we reclaimed the league under Souness, there was a congratulations message from Chelsea FC in the Rangers news. I was last at The Bridge last January (a treat for my 40th) when Chelsea played Reading and once again, I was made most welcome before, during and after the game. I would recommend the Chelsea Tour and if you mention that you are a Bear, you'll be treated like royalty. Cammy F

But he' and his club are happy to take Shitantas money tho..... Cammy F

Yip, think it is the fear factor of what I'd be missing that is worrying me the most. Every Other Saturday (nearly broke into a song there) for the last 27 years, I've been tropping of to Ibrox and going to as many away games that I can (ticket allocation being the only barrier). I have even sat in the home end at Pittodrie, Tannidice, Easter Road, Tynecastle, East End Park, Fir Park and the likes, just to watch The Rangers. As I said, my head knows its time to give it up, but heart is still strong! It still drags me to Ibrox and beyond in the hope (more than expectation) that things will improve, our club will be run correctly and we will be treated with same as supporters of every other club. I will attempt to stay strong and stick with my convictions.... Cammy F