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Hi Bears! Me and some other students from Liverpool are taking a look at what it means to be a Rangers fan. We have a short survey that we would really appreciate if you could fill out to help us get an insight into how the fans feel about their club. https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/RHFRGK8 Below you will find a link with some information on why we are doing the survey as well as how we will use the data. All data is anonymous and confidential. If you have any queries please do not hesitate to get in touch: kaneok100@gmail.com https://drive.google.com/open?id=1nNYWOK4qzBaw0bS_ZTOkoWqbGP5GDqiV Cheers, Kane
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Hi there, my name is Daniel and I am a student at the University of Leeds. I am conducting a research project for my final year and I have chosen to investigate rivalry within football and one of my case studies besides the Catalonian/Madrid rivalry, I am looking at Scottish football, and more specifically the city of Glasgow. I understand this may be a sensitive topic and would like to make it clear that this survey is purely academical and I have no intention to cause any sort of offence. I have put together a small survey looking at rivalries and I kindly ask that you fill out my survey for me. It only takes 3 minutes and would be kindly appreciated if you could complete this for me. Also if you could pass on to anyone relevant. Again, I thank you for your time. https://leeds.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/scottishfootballsurvey -
Following on from a point raised earlier today by JohnMc, I thought this question and related discussion deserved a new thread, so here goes.... The initial (and official) announcement from the Club regarding the Sports Direct deal and Rangers Retail JV ('joint venture') is here - Sports Direct Deal Confirmed A slightly more detailed description of the deal can be found in the RFC Prospectus from Dec 2012 which is here - AIM Admission Document The following is from section XIII 12.1.3 on page 108 of the prospectus PDF document: So between the initial announcement and the description of the deal in the IPO prospectus, there seems to be absolutely no mention of a time period for the Rangers Retail joint venture with Sports Direct to elapse or expire. Another very important question for anyone attending next week's AGM perhaps? -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/30009546 Hibernian: Pat Stanton leads fans' buyout campaign Hibernian legend Pat Stanton is to head a new group that hopes to unite fans behind a bid to buy the club. BuyHibs is backed by the Erin Trust, Hibernian Supporters Association, the Formers Players Association and Hibernian Shareholders Association. Stanton has called for a meeting with Tom Farmer and want Hibs' owner to name his price for the club. "The BuyHibs campaign has the ultimate aim of buying our club," said the former Hibs player and team manager. BuyHibs campaign director Neil Wheelan "The club are failing on and off the park and the need for change has never been greater; the club needs a new direction with fresh drive and investment coming into the club." The group was formed following supporters groups meetings and a survey of more than 4,000 fans carried out by Supporters Direct Scotland. "We are in the fortunate position that the motivation for BuyHibs has not been generated from an emergency situation through a threatened insolvency like supporters of other clubs have been faced with," said Stanton. "We want to be in a position where we can make a positive contribution to the long-term position of our club and to be ready to buy the club when the opportunity arises. "We are asking fans to pledge to provide funds which will allow BuyHibs to drive positive change and to give an indication of what size of stake is achievable. "We are open to work with all Hibernian-minded people and groups who share the same goal. "As a first step, we call on Sir Tom Farmer and Rod Petrie to meet with us to find and promote a positive and sustainable change for the betterment of Hibernian and to provide Sir Tom with a clear and deserved exit from the club he has backed for many years." Hibs are presently playing in the Scottish Championship after being relegated from the top flight last season. Cowdenbeath's Callum Gallagher challenges Hibs' Matthew Kennedy Hibernian are in the Scottish Championship after being relegated last season BuyHibs campaign director Neil Wheelan said: "The club are failing on and off the park and the need for change has never been greater; the club needs a new direction with fresh drive and investment coming into the club. "The potential within the Hibernian fan base is enormous and this must be used to take the club forward. "The club needs sweeping changes to bring a new and more positive outlook and the required fresh investment. "It would appear that the current custodians have no desire to invest to move the club forward so we call on Sir Tom Farmer to remain true to his word and pass the Football Club, Easter Road Stadium and the East Main Training Academy into a community-backed vehicle that safeguards the future of all assets." In August, a consortium of investors claimed to have made a £3.5m offer to take control HFC Holdings Ltd, the company that owns about 98% of the Easter Road club. The fans survey by Supporters Direct Scotland, which has helped other clubs move to fan ownership, revealed that 84% of Hibs fans wanted the Edinburgh club to follow that path. Slightly less - 80% - also believe Easter Road Stadium should be safeguarded and that any change to that would require fan approval, while 68% said that they would be willing to join a membership scheme to provide additional income for the club. Andrew Jenkin, of Supporters Direct Scotland, added: "Supporters are the heart and soul of any football club and the BuyHibs campaign shows Hibernian have many passionate, knowledgeable and highly-skilled supporters who would like to be further involved in the running of the club."
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Some words on recent events from yours truly via TRS: http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/current-affairs/330-the-fog-on-the-clyde
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http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29527838 Rangers FC are omitted from the survey and calculator because they did not provide data to the BBC. Did we boycott or were just unable to respond?
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Tuesday 7th October 7pm. Grovsner Hotel Gt Western Rd Glasgow. Public meeting for all fans concerned with recent events at our club and who wish to explore possible actions available to the fans. We have one guest speaker confirmed so far and the meeting will include a Q&A session Much better from Craig here. Hope it goes well.
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...that is the question facing Sons of Struth members as Rangers woes continue The Sons of Struth protest group this week polled its 1,500 members over whether to stage a boycott of Rangers. The controversial move has divided opinion among followers of the Ibrox club. Many believe it is the only way to achieve change at the troubled Glasgow instutition. Others are of the opinion that it will do further damage to a club facing serious financial problems. Matthew Lindsay of SportTimes spoke to Craig Houston of SoS and asked him about their plans... ST: Why are you polling your members about a potential boycott of Rangers? CH: It's quite simple. In the year the Sons of Struth have been in existence, a lot of people have asked us: "Do you want to boycott?" But we have always been of the opinion that it is a big ask to say to a fan they can or cannot go to watch their team. So we haven't spoken about it in any great detail. But over the last two weeks that has changed with the stories about Rafat Rizvi and the stadium naming rights being sold to Mike Ashley for just £1 coming out. The number of people who are asking us, both online and in person, if we would have a boycott, has multiplied. More and more folk have been raising the issue. There are a lot of angry Bears out there. In the last few weeks we have set up a Sons of Struth membership scheme and we now have over 1,500 members. With the feedback we have been receiving, we thought it was fair and democratic to ask our members their views. We have not told anybody to boycott. We are simply asking their views on it. But, unlike the club, we will listen to what they have to say. ST: What are you asking Sons of Struth members? CH: We are asking them three things. Do they think there should be no boycott? Do they think there should be a one-game boycott? Or do they think there should be a boycott for the rest of the season until change is made? We have also asked them about the prospect of boycotting Sports Direct and McGill's Buses. ST: What change would you like to see? CH: We believe if Sandy Easdale leaves Rangers Football Club we would be better placed to attract investment. In an ideal world we would like the entire board to change. But in reality that is not going to happen. It is a big ask to get rid of every director in one fell swoop. We are aware of people who are willing to invest money in the club. We believe the only people stopping them from doing so are Sandy Easdale and those investors whose proxy votes he holds. ST: But Sandy Easdale lent Rangers £500,000 last year to keep them afloat. And he hasn't called in the debt. Where would the Ibrox club be now without him? CH: Probably in exactly the same situation. I am quite sure if he wasn't involved that somebody else would have put up the money. Certainly, he isn't the first director to do so since we went into administration. One ex-director put his own money in to pay the electricity bills when we were waiting for funding to come through. It is not a new thing. But Sandy Easdale is the first person to have loaned Rangers money at a time of need who has required security on his loan. ST: Why are you targeting Sports Direct? CH: Mike Ashley took a deal that any businessman who does not care about Rangers Football Club would have taken. But we do not want Ibrox to be renamed - for a pound or any other sum of money. Ashley could exercise his right to name the stadium the Sports Direct Arena or he could sell the rights to another company in the years ahead. Rather than wait until that happens we will, if it is the wish of our members, be proactive. We will hit him in the pocket. We will give him £2 if he makes the agreement disappear. He will double his money. ST: You have just over 1,500 members. But the Rangers support is hundreds of thousands strong. Who cares what you think? CH: Nobody in the boardroom, anyway! Seriously, though, if you put all of the Rangers supporters' groups together they would still be in a minority. The vast majority of fans are not part of any official organisation. But the Sons of Struth have members who are different types of people and who are different types of personality. So they represent a broad cross section of the Rangers support. If the majority of them want to take action and boycott I think it is fair to presume the majority of supporters want to. When the Sons of Struth was just two people strong we still managed to get over 30,000 people to take part in red and blue card displays at Ibrox. If the consensus among our members is to boycott then we will put it out to the wider fan base. ST: So if you do decide to stage a boycott what exactly will you do? CH: You are putting the cart before the horse there. Our members might come back and say we shouldn't take any action. But it would be foolish to think we have not discussed what to do in the event that the majority of our members back a boycott. We have a few ideas kicking about. ST: Ally McCoist has stated his Rangers team will perform better with a full support behind them. Aren't you concerned a boycott will harm the side on the park? CH: Unlike a lot of Rangers supporters, I was at the League Cup game against Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Ibrox on Tuesday night. There were just over 15,000 in the stadium. So it was at a third of its total capacity. But that didn't seem to affect the players too much. I certainly respect Ally McCoist's view. It would be far better to have a full stadium behind his side. But I don't think fans boycotting games will impact upon the players too much, if at all. ST: Rangers are in a precarious position financially. Won't a boycott do further damage to a club you say you love? CH: If we do decide on a boycott it would not surprise me the club said investors had been put off getting involved due to the actions of the fans. But we have been told that investment is lined up by two separate directors in the last year and we only started talking a boycott in the last couple of weeks. Everything gets blamed on the fans. It is scandalous for anybody to suggest the actions of Rangers fans are detrimental to the club. In the last two years we have filled stadiums week in, week out. We have bought approximately 100,000 season tickets. To suggest we have put the club in peril is laughable. Certain people within the club should have a long, hard look at themselves for suggesting that and questioning the loyalty of fans. If our members feel a boycott is the best course of action to take then it will send a message to the board. It will underline they are not happy with the conduct of a certain individual at the club or with the naming rights to the stadium being sold for £1. We will talk to them in pounds, shillings and pence. Hopefully, they will then take action. ST: What has the reaction to a potential boycott been so far? CH: It has been a mixed bag. A lot of Rangers fans are already boycotting Ibrox of their own freewill. You only have to look at attendances to see that. They are the "not a penny more" camp. They made the decision we are asking our members to consider now before this season kicked off. Others have not gone to games for two or even three years. They want more people to take their stance. They are telling us: "Great. We hope you do this." But some Rangers fans want to go and see their team regardless of who is running the club and what is going on. No matter what the result of our survey is, I would not dictate to any Rangers fan not to go to a game. ST: Why don't you protest in a way that won't damage the club or the team? CH: If somebody can tell me of a protest that is guaranteed to work we will do it. No matter how crazy or bizarre. We have staged marches, have put postcards addressed to the chief executive through the door of Ibrox, have had John Brown hand in an online petition, have held red card protests and blue card protests. If somebody can suggest something else we can do that will have positive results then we will do that. When you go to a game as a football fan you are entitled to air your view. If the right-back has a shocker and scores an own goal then you can have a pop at him. I reserve the right to criticise the board if I think they are not having a good game. Many people feel that giving more money to Rangers just now is akin to giving an alcoholic you love a bottle of gin. http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/to-boycott-or-not-to-boycottthat-is-the-question-facing-sons-of-struth-180991n.25356637
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The rumour is that Brighton are in for Wallace and are close to matching our valuation.
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http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7334-rangers-launch-club-membership MANAGER Ally McCoist and Captain Lee McCulloch joined a group of fans at Murray Park today (Tuesday 29, July 2014) to launch Rangers Club Membership – an initiative designed to bring supporters closer than ever to their Club. As this is the inaugural season for Club Membership all supporters who join will become Founder Members including all season ticket holders, who will automatically receive complimentary Founder Membership. Club Members will enjoy a series of exclusive benefits bringing them closer to the Club and the team as well as access to Member only events and promotions. Membership will bring enhanced participation with the Club including the ability for Members to apply for a position on the Fans Board and to vote in the Fans Board elections; exclusive members only email in advance of every home game; Members only prize draws; behind the scenes experiences including Q&A sessions with the Manager/CEO/Players and a Members only training day at Ibrox. Members will also have the chance to enjoy discounts across the Club including Matchday Hospitality, Ibrox Stadium Tours and non-matchday dining at the Argyle House Restaurant. As a Rangers Junior Founder Member supporters will have the opportunity to be mascots at home games, have access to exclusive online content and competitions and will receive a Junior Founder Member only pack including a scarf, wristband, bag and stickers in addition to their Founder Member badge, certificate and card. Season ticket holders can take up their benefits from today and their pack, which includes the Founder Member badge, certificate and card will be issued in the next 4-6 weeks. Non season ticket holders can purchase Club Membership online at rangers.co.uk/membership priced £24.99 plus P&P* for adults and £14.99 plus P&P* for juniors. Members can benefit from the many benefits right away and Founder Member welcome packs will be posted within 4-6 weeks from purchase. Ally McCoist commented: “This initiative is a fantastic way for our fans to get closer than ever to their Club. As Rangers Founder Members supporters can apply to join the Fans Board or vote in the upcoming Fans Board elections, have the opportunity to take part in exclusive Q&A sessions with the CEO and myself, attend a members only training session at Ibrox or have the chance of a behind the scenes tour of Murray Park. “I am also delighted that all Rangers season ticket holders are being given Founder Member status automatically and will receive all the benefits associated with that. Our supporters have shown unbelievable passion, loyalty and commitment to Rangers, especially in the last few seasons, and I can’t thank them enough for their continued backing. “I encourage all fans to become Founder Members of the Club, get even closer and take advantage of the exclusive range of benefits on offer. We are on our way back to the top of Scottish football and together the journey will be much easier.” Lee McCulloch added: “The Rangers fans are the lifeblood of this great institution and initiatives like Club Membership are a key way to reward that incredible loyalty. Our supporters have backed the team in huge numbers at Ibrox and in away games in the past few seasons and I am sure they will get right behind us once again when the campaign begins. “The players and management staff are all looking forward to the opening league game against Hearts where we will unfurl the League One flag and honour the late Sandy Jardine and I ask all Rangers fans to sign up for Club Membership and be part of this exciting initiative.”
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Article submitted by Andy Steele: SDS Survey: No Issues? No Chance! News that a survey by fans' body Supporters' Direct Scotland has found that while the vast majority of fans felt the game in Scotland had no issues with racism or homophobia, it had a big, big problem with sectarianism. This highlights not just the issue of social attitudes and football, but, sadly, the problem people have with perceiving themselves as part of the problem. One can assume fairly safely that for such a result to be obtained a good proportion of respondents were either non-Old Firm fans, or if Old Firm fans, Celtic supporters. I would be willing to place a hefty wager that the only fans who feel strongly that there is little sectarianism in Scotland would be those supporters the others consider to be the problem: Rangers fans. One must always, in such debates, pander to the thin skinned and establish that yes, one does think there is an issue and yes, Rangers fans most of all need to deal with it. A major issue, though? I don't see it in my day-to-day life, though I may of course simply be lucky or blinkered. Having established that denial is not on the agenda, though, I'd like to examine the other two aspects mentioned, homophobia and racism. If Scottish football has no issue with racism it is because the game is played, watched, commentated on and written about in what is a virtual monoculture. The BBC can count Kheredine Iddeshane, who to guess from his name may be of middle east extraction, and STV Rhaman Bardwan, but that's about it. The sight of players from non-European backgrounds has diminished of late, while managers and chairmen are exclusively white. No racism? Well, maybe if we understand that creating an almost exclusively European ethnic identity for the game will go a long way to excluding those from without such a background, it may expain why there's 'no racism': there's no cultural mix in which it might appear. Perhaps, if we actively created an environment which encouraged diversity, and focused on policing the resultant mix effectively, we may find we're not quite so tolerant as we might like to think. Or we may not - who knows? Casual racism has certainly been part of my west of Scotland experience: I am inclined to believe that 'no issue' is a complacent and boastful conclusion not based on evidence. But since many have called long and loud for such an approach to sectarianism, it seems only logical to apply it to these other areas as well. And what about homophobia? 'Get fucking up, ya poofy cunt' is, for the student of English, a fascinating sentence, but it's hardly indicative of a tolerant atmosphere. You'll hear it, and variants thereon, at every ground every week when an opposition player is apparently injured, though: 'no issue'? When 'Off the Ball' described a poor flag as 'poofy' I actually, for the first time in my life, got off my arse and complained. I got a reply: it was drivel. Credit where it's due, though, the programme presumably realised they were out of order and have since addressed the issue interestingly and humourously. What the incident that riled me shows, though, is that many of us are actively discriminatory without even realising it: Stuart Cosgrove was no more actively trying to put down homosexuality than I am actively trying to create a Protestant theocracy when I sing 'No Surrender' at Ibrox. The effect, nevertheless, can be non-inclusive. My singing of that song is based on the fact that it creates a great atmosphere first and last, and not in any way because I care about or know about Irish or religious history. Others, though, hear my singing and feel excluded or offended by it. What to me is a noise is to others an insult - if Tom English, easily the best analyst of the game at the moment, is freaked out by it I have to think twice. That's not to say I will agree with him, but it gives pause for thought. Plainly all these issues are hyper-sensitive with absolutes thin on the ground, but there's simply no way we have absolutely 'no issue' with racism or homophobia. I suppose the point I'm trying to make is that in our game, all three of these issues exist to varying degrees, but only one is taken seriously and, conveniently, it's the one that can be blamed on someone else. Sectarianism deserves to be taken seriously, but so too do other forms of bigotry: not least sexism, which in Scotland remains rampant. I find women as sexually stimulating as the next man, assuming he's straight, but that's no reason to objectify them or base a professional appraisal on their chests or backsides: that's still the default position of far too many men. We've plenty issues which could do with being addressed both in the game and in the country, but the first step we take will have to be from our own front doors. Blaming everything on Rangers and Rangers fans while insisting the rest of the land is a paradise of tolerance and diversity is doing no-one any favours: a more honest appraisal of our own prejudices would reveal some or all of these issues, far from being non-existent, might be visible in the mirror tomorrow morning as you shave. http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/252-sds-survey-no-issues-no-chance
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Received this email today. Ready To Listen Focus Groups Following the issue of the Rangers Ready To Listen Phase 2 results, the next phase of the initiative is to hold face-to-face meetings in the form of focus groups. More than half the respondents from the initial survey said they would participate in further supporter engagement initiatives to help shape the Club’s Ready To Listen campaign and these focus groups will now be facilitated at Ibrox with fans who had expressed a wish to continue their involvement. The first set of focus groups will take place on Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 June in the Blue Room at Ibrox Stadium. These focus groups will concentrate on Fan Engagement with 4 groups being held across two days and should last no longer than 1½ hours. A representative sample of Rangers fans will be included in each group to share their individual views and will be invited to participate on a first come first served basis. The sessions will be managed by an independent researcher. If you would like to take part, please reply to this email stating your name, contact telephone number and which day and group you would like to attend from the following: Day 1: Tuesday 10 June • Group 1: 6pm • Group 2: 8pm Day 2: Wednesday 11 June • Group 1: 6pm • Group 2: 8pm Please reply no later than Friday 30 May to confirm your attendance. All chosen participants will be notified no later than Wednesday 4 June and as an incentive, all participants who are selected to attend the focus groups will have the opportunity to attend a tour of Murray Park as a thank you for their time. These initial focus groups will be followed by sessions covering Club Membership and Digital & Media in the coming weeks and months. If you acknowledged that you would like to take part in further initiatives on Club Membership and Digital & Media, you may still have the opportunity to attend these focus groups whether or not you attend the Fan Engagement initiative. Thank you for your continued support for Ready To Listen. Rangers Football Club Rangers.co.uk To unsubscribe, please follow this link: Unsubscribe The Rangers Football Club Ltd, registered in Scotland with number SC425159 registered office Ibrox Stadium, 150 Edmiston Drive, Glasgow, G51 2XD
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GRAHAM WALLACE says Rangers now has a solid base from which it can move forward with confidence as it looks to grow, prosper and thrive more as time goes on. Wallace has spent the weekend in Toronto at the 2014 NARSA convention, where over 1,000 Light Blues fans have been in attendance. The chief executive took questions in an open forum yesterday afternoon following the association’s annual general meeting. A number of issues were raised with him and Wallace is keen to reassure Gers followers a path to a brighter future lies ahead. He said: “It has been interesting talking to a different cross-section of fans in Toronto as it was an opportunity to hear at a really detailed level about some of the issues they have. “Almost since the day I came to Rangers, we’ve been operating in an environment where there have been consistent questions about the financial stability of the club. “I’ve repeatedly come out and said there’s no threat of administration and we’ve built a very solid base now which we’re moving forward from. “The fans should take reassurance and comfort from that. We are moving in a way that allows us to grow and develop the business. “The long-term financial stability of the business is well in hand and we are in a good place now. Fans should be confident and comfortable with the club’s long-term stability. “The club needs them to survive like any business does and we are absolutely hoping they will stand behind and support the club the way they have in recent seasons. “In the vast majority of areas, I think we are moving in the right direction and it is business as usual at the football club. “The fans are looking for a degree of confidence that their club is stable, it’s being properly run and we are in a good position financially. “We are now in our best position financially in my time at the club so that’s positive and we are placed very well for the start of the forthcoming Championship campaign.” Wallace admits there is still considerable work to be done as Rangers bid to make up for what he feels has been a missed opportunity to rebuild in a better way since administration in 2012. But he is sure a lot key moves have now been made which will allow the League One title winners to make more notable strides from now on. He added: “I’ve been in position now for a little over six months and in that time it has been extremely challenging. “There have been so many legacy issues we have had to deal with and we spent a considerable period of time looking at the condition and the state of the business. “We had to map out what we think the club and the business is capable of doing over the next several years. “We have done a tremendous amount of groundwork and we’ve addressed a significant number of issues. “In April, we published our business review. That gave fans a sense of what we inherited but more importantly, a sense of the vision of where we think we can take the business. “We have made significant strides but it’s not an overnight journey and what we are looking for now is to move forward again. “We want to go through our pre-season routine into the new season and really push on, starting to make a huge difference in the areas we’ve identified.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/7029-a-base-to-grow-from
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GRAHAM WALLACE believes Rangers are now moving closer to the successful establishment of their first fan board as the club activates in its biggest supporter engagement initiative. The Ibrox chief executive will tonight return to the UK from Toronto, where he has spent a couple of days talking to Light Blues followers at the 2014 NARSA convention. More than 1,000 of them have been in attendance and Wallace feels it has been important to reach out to them as he seeks to build bridges and create a better, sustainable future at Gers. He addressed around 900 attendees at the gathering’s Grand Banquet yesterday and hopes his visit there can help develop a stronger relationship going forward. Wallace said: “We have recognised right from day one we had a big job to do in terms of trying to improve engagement with the club’s fans. “Several months ago we launched our Ready To Listen fan engagement survey and that was really just the first step. “We’ve now gone through another two subsequent steps in terms of narrowing down areas of interest to the fans so we can fully understand what matters to them. “We are currently moving into the third phase which is a set of detailed focus groups that involve people sitting round the table and looking at specific issues. “It’s all designed to move us forward to the creation of our first Rangers fan board, which will be an official board that will act as the body to represent the fans with the club. “We’re looking at the constitution and composition of that because we want to get a wide spread of Rangers fans engaged in talking to the club. “Like anything else, these things take time to work their way through and particularly at a level where what we’re dealing with is not just a simple scenario. “There are many issues dear to Rangers fans’ hearts. We’re trying to engage with them in a way they’ll say they can see progress and I think we have made a number of steps forward.” http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headli...edging-closer? There must be fans who actually swallow this bullshit.
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Being said on FF and Twitter that VB met with the board the day after the UOF meeting. Somers and James Easdale also attended. Why would the board meet with such a small unrepresentative group? As is being said on Twitter most supporters clubs have more members.
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http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/rangers/275976-spfl-pay-broadcaster-up-to-250000-per-season-to-show-rangers-games/ The Scottish Professional Football League is contractually bound to pay BT Sport up to £250,000 per season in return for the broadcaster airing Rangers matches. STV understands that under the terms of a renegotiated TV deal following the removal of Rangers from the top flight in 2012, a clause was inserted making the league liable to additional production costs incurred setting up at lower league grounds. It is understood the league agreed to the insertion of the clause in order to guarantee broadcast contracts which were essentially null and void after Rangers were expelled from the then-Scottish Premier League and were subsequently admitted to the bottom tier of the Scottish Football League. The SPL paid the Scottish Football League £800,000 for one season's worth of rights to show Rangers games but that deal was absorbed when the league bodies merged in 2013. It is not known how much has been paid out to BT Sport and ESPN, who were the holders of the contract for the 2012/13 season, to date. The overall payment is capped at £250,000 per season. In a statement to STV, SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster said: "The support given to Scottish football by our broadcast partners, in 2012 and since, has been fundamental to the ongoing health of the game in this country." It is understood the league thought it necessary to agree to the deal in order to protect revenue from broadcast contracts. Nevertheless, the revelations in short mean the SPFL pays a broadcaster in order for Rangers games to be shown on television. BT Sport said in a statement: “[We] were delighted to inherit the SPFL rights from ESPN at the beginning of this season, however we cannot comment on contractual details.”
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http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/u/rangers-supporters-trust-claim-8-in-10-fans-will-not-renew-season-tickets.1400067566 -
via @Rangers_Official Now that the season is over, this is a good time for me to speak to you directly as part of our ongoing Ready To Listen fan engagement programme. In order to do so I will be answering questions from supporters today in a Twitter Q&A on our official club account. You can tweet your questions directly to me on @RFC_Official using the hashtag #ReadyToListen between 1pm and 2pm. I will answer as many questions from supporters within the hour and look forward to speaking with as many fans as I can. Graham Wallace, Chief Executive Officer.
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@Martin1Williams: Sons of Struth to hand out red cards to allow #Rangers fans to protest against the board & their business review at Dunfermline
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"The Union of Fans is absolutely appalled by Graham Wallace’s business review and revelations over the weekend regarding Mr Wallace’s alleged behaviour and that of this board. Given the serious nature of the allegations, we expect David Somers, in his role as chairman, to suspend Mr Wallace until these investigations are complete. It is our firm belief that shareholders have been misled. First of all we would like to address the London Stock Exchange statement, and Mr Wallace’s subsequent comments in his press conference, which attempted to lay the blame for the withdrawal of credit and debit card facilities at the door of UoF and Dave King. We are aware that FirstData, the payment processing company, first alerted Mr Wallace to the need for security for these facilities on 23rd January of this year, a full month before Dave King and the Union of Fans spoke about the idea of a season ticket trust. FirstData clearly communicated that this was due to the shocking financial results released in December and Mr Wallace’s attempt on the 16th January, just four working days before FirstData raised the issue, to get the players to take a wage cut. FirstData did not at that time raise any issues with a possible decline in season ticket sales as being a reason for the need for security. Once again we have seen a Rangers board attempt to deflect the blame for their own incompetence onto fans who only want the best for the club. Even more seriously, this is a blatant attempt to mislead shareholders as to the underlying reasons for the club’s inability to provide these facilities. As if this was not bad enough, we now find out that Mr Wallace has been reported to police over his comments at the AGM about the club’s financial position. We have consistently stated that his AGM undertaking that the club had sufficient funds was false and nothing that has happened since has shaken us from that belief. We are not surprised that his consistent refusal to address this issue has led to angry shareholders taking this action and we hope there will be a full and thorough investigation. Mr Wallace’s ‘120 day’ review could have been written by any Rangers fan before Mr Wallace even took up his position. It is full of vague promises for the future which read like a wish list from a fans forum. Whilst much of the content in terms of football progress is certainly desirable, there is a complete lack of any detail as to how this board can achieve it. They have provided no evidence that they can raise the necessary funds to take the club forward and we have no confidence in them to do so. We note Mr Wallace’s criticism of previous boards. James Easdale sat on the previous board from July of last year. Is he now going to be removed for his part in this financial mismanagement? Sandy Easdale became a de facto member of the previous board in September last year and has clearly had unprecedented and unjustifiable access to the PLC’s financial details since. His public statements just prior to the review showed that he has access to information he should not, were share price sensitive and showed the utter lack of corporate governance being enforced by Mr Somers in his role as chairman. It is time for Mr Somers, our absent chairman, to step forward and clear up this mess. He must explain why his CEO, Mr Wallace, misled shareholders. He must suspend Mr Wallace pending the conclusion of police investigations. He must deal with the serious questions over Sandy Easdale’s role and why he is being treated like a privileged PLC board member when he is simply a minority shareholder with undue influence. He should also inform shareholders and fans whether the board as a whole was aware that the reason given to the London Stock Exchange for the need for security to obtain credit and debit card facilities was misleading. He is responsible for the total lack of corporate governance on this board and must act now or his own reputation with be irrevocably damaged. This board is a disgrace to Rangers Football Club and the current members of it are running our club into the ground whilst simultaneously making a mockery of the positions they are privileged to hold." http://www.unionoffans.org/statements/2014/4/27/uof-statement-270414
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Chaps, I'm not looking to troll or create tension here, but for the life of me I can't work out why any bear can trust or support the current board. I've seen nothing from the board that can help balance up my own feelings and each passing week sees more shit rolled at supporters. So, in the spirit of good debate, what are the good points of the board which gets them support, albeit a small minority, but support all the same from fellow Bears. What are the positives from board.
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DAVE KING tonight fired another attack on the Rangers board. The South African businessman has declared war on the current Ibrox regime and has issued a strongly-worded statement again urging Rangers fans not to renew season tickets. The statement reads: I must respond to the Rangers board’s criticism of my appeal to withhold season ticket advances. This board continues its habit of evading issues by attacking the integrity of any individual or group that speaks out against them. I am happy to engage the board on our comparative integrity. Unlike this board, I do not regard integrity as a character attribute that comes with an ON/OFF switch. When I met with the board the Chairman requested that, other than the two public statements that we made, the balance of our discussions would remain private. I agreed to that and, despite requests from fan groups to disclose the full details of my discussions, I steadfastly honoured my undertaking. This board did not do likewise. In an ill-judged attempt to discredit me, they have now disclosed my comment to them that I preferred not to put money into Rangers if it could be found from other sources. In this instance they demonstrated their lack of integrity for no advantage as I had already, as part of my frank discussions with the fan groups, advised them that I had no prime ambition to invest further in the club but will do so if no other investors come forward. I would be delighted if the club could thrive without any investment from me. This attempt at a “juicy” leak by the board merely proves that it is impossible to engage this board on a basis of confidentiality and integrity. The board has now stated that it was always its intention to only provide the business review after season ticket advances had largely been paid. It has denied that it agreed that the business review would be made available prior to fans committing to season ticket advances even though I referred to this agreement in my public statement immediately after our meeting. At the time the board allowed my public statement, in toto, to go unchallenged. Presumably it had no concern with what I stated. Again, we have an integrity issue but fortunately have common sense as a referee. We know that the board did not challenge my public statement of last month. It is also common cause that the vital issue for the fans is to be told what ambition the owners have for the club and how this is going to be funded. It must be obvious that the fans need this information prior to investing - not after. The board’s new version lacks integrity even if it was believable. Given that the board is quick to raise integrity and trust as key issues I would like to pose simple questions that are easy to reply to with a simple yes or no. a) Does the board agree it is unfair to ask fans to buy season tickets before they consider the business review? b) Does the board agree that, given the present financial position of the club, it is appropriate to provide Ibrox Park and Murray Park as security against season ticket advances? c) Does the board agree that in the latter half of December 2013 it was in discussions to obtain finance that would be needed prior to the end of the current season? d) Does the board agree that in the latter half of December 2013 it provided public assurances to the fans that the club had sufficient cash to last until the end of the current season? Without satisfactory answers to these questions fans should not be expected to invest in season tickets.
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To view this email online, click HERE Thank you for volunteering to continue to be involved in the Rangers Ready to Listen Fan Engagement Initiative. You told us you would like to have your say as to how the Club could and should shape Fan Engagement. Please find a link below to a short survey which could form the foundations of Fan Engagement. You will also be asked at the end of the survey if you would like to continue to be involved in developing this area through more in-depth research. Your input into the questions outlined in this survey is invaluable in helping us to shape Fan Engagement at Rangers moving forward. If you would like to continue to be involved in the development of the Rangers Ready to Listen Fan Engagement Initiative, please ensure you complete your contact details at the end of the survey in order for us to contact you. Click here to start the Rangers Fan Engagement Survey. Thank you again for your continued support for the Club. Rangers.co.uk To unsubscribe, please follow this link: Unsubscribe The Rangers Football Club Ltd, registered in Scotland with number SC425159 registered office Ibrox Stadium, 150 Edmiston Drive, Glasgow, G51 2XD
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Wednesday, 02 April 2014 13:00 Ready To Listen: Phase 1 Results Written by RANGERS FOOTBALL CLUB THE results of the Rangers Ready To Listen fan engagement survey which was launched in February have now been analysed, evaluated and reviewed. An overwhelming 35,265 of our core support took part in the first step of the fan engagement programme which will help shape the future direction of the Club. Participants in the Fan engagement survey included: 50% of adult season ticket holders 83% were matchday attendees 5% from existing supporter groups 10% from overseas With 84% of supporters seeking a review of how the Club engages with fans and 68% feeling the supporters do not have a loud enough voice, it is clear the need for enhanced engagement with the Club should be a priority. One of the key findings and recommendations from the survey is the development of a fan representation board voted for by supporters and representing the interests of all fans including season ticket holders, overseas fans shareholders and families. Indeed, 84% of the fanbase supported the progression of this concept and this is an area we now need to explore further with the wider Rangers support. Fans were also asked for their thoughts on the potential for a membership scheme and 80% were in favour of developing such an initiative. We have listened to the response from fans and are now working on the development of Rangers membership with further fan input for launch over the summer and in advance of the 14/15 season. Supporters identified the top five best performing areas of the business as: Community/Charity Work Club Social Media Club website Safe Matchday Environment Hospitality The five most important aspects of the Club according to fans are: On-pitch performance Youth Development programme Overall direction and management of the Business Fan Engagement Matchday Experience The five most important statements relating to the Club from the list identified are: Proud of its rich history and tradition Open and effective relationship with its supporters Continually strives for sporting success Youth development is key to on-pitch success High standards of integrity and professionalism The most important issues for fans right now are a need for Honesty, Integrity and Transparency going forward, this was made clear in the majority of surveys completed. However, this is not surprising given events at the Club in recent years and the Board is ready to act on that feedback. Graham Wallace commented: "The Club wants to be open about the key issues highlighted in the Ready to Listen fan engagement survey and realises areas of concern like trust, transparency and honesty will not be improved overnight. We understand that trust must be earned and certainly appreciate supporters have had a difficult few years. "There are undoubtedly areas we can improve on and it is clear fans value a greater voice and involvement with the Club. We are listening to these views and will act accordingly. The Club values the feedback received as it will help us shape and ensure a sustainable future for Rangers. "We said at the outset that we wanted to engage with the 44,000 core supporters who attend matches regularly and we were therefore delighted that over 50% of adult season ticket holders took part and 83% of respondents attend games. "We believe that with the Club and fans working together we can impact positively on Rangers future performance and will now move forward into a more detailed phase in a number of areas that were identified." NEXT STEPS More than half of the survey participants advised that they would be keen to participate further in future supporter engagement initiatives to help shape the programme. Supporters were asked if they would be willing to engage with the Club to aid the development of certain areas within the business and the response was again overwhelming. Volunteers for each area are as follows: Ticketing; 6,567 Matchday Experience; 7,876 Hospitality; 3,132 Catering; 4,477 Retail/Merchandise; 6,088 Fan Engagement; 12,289 Club Media; 6,589 Customer Service; 5,409 Membership; 8,723 This next phase of follow-up research will help to define and create a formal fan engagement programme driven by the fans with the support of the Club via a specific fan engagement survey which will be issued next week. Specific communications on other areas of importance to the fans, including those listed above, will also start to be issued from next week and over the coming weeks. Thereafter, more focused face-to-face meetings with fans will be held to engage them on their opinions and insights across these areas with a view to having key initiatives and developments in place for the start of Season 14/15. The Club would like to thank all those who took part in this initial step in the Ready To Listen campaign. Your feedback is invaluable and we look forward to working together on the next steps to help shape the future direction of the Club. To view an infographic of the survey results click here http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/6663-ready-to-listen-phase-1-results
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Given the dire state of the published interim accounts (despite whatever way folk would like to look at them) - I am yet again left with a lot of questions about how the board are running the club and how they foresee us pulling through. However we all know that over the past almost 4 months, the only answer we are constantly given is 'wait until the 120 day business review is completed'. This excuse is often compounded with the 'previous regime costs' and 'previous shortsightedness' that seemed to be the basis for some decisions. Personally speaking, I have lost all faith in the board. I do not see any results from the investment committee, the Easdale's continue to operate within shroud of mystery and their behavior is nothing short of appalling, the debacle with King / Irvine which must have came from instruction from the board, the Laxey loan agreement etc. Therefor I do not hold out much hope on the outcomes of this review other than what was intimated by Somers - the fans will need to provide cash to bail out the club by season tickets, which I have to say is a totally unacceptable stance to take given the lack of performance that can be easily read from the accounts. As stated, that's my personal view - and I would love to be proven wrong with a positive outcome of the review detailing new ventures / revenue streams / investment plans as well as a detailed account of how the business has been operated over the past 18 months or so. However I was keen to see what other folk think the outcomes of the review will be? Do we have any faith in this 120 day exercise? Will Wallace finally prove he has the substance to continue in his position at Rangers? Will the board finally 'let go' of the historic excuse of the Green / Ahmed / Whyte era? The past few weeks news headlines and media articles have almost laid down the gauntlet to the board - and I certainly still feel that the next move must be theirs, which will undoubtedly be the publication of the review findings. I fear that these results will not be enough to appease the support which will lead into another period of uncertainty.
