Glenn Gibbons: Matter of trust was just self-important trash

[ian1964 10,811]

By Glenn Gibbons

This column owns up to a long-standing struggle to understand the difference between a supporters' "trust" and an old-fashioned supporters' "club". Apart, that is, from the former's curious and misguided belief that the fortunes of the football club of their favour would increase dramatically were they allowed to take a hand in its affairs.

The notion of planting a "fan" on the board has always seemed something of an insult to the sitting directors, with its implication that they are not themselves fans. This point is usually countered with the claim that they are referring to an "ordinary" supporter. It is a view that appears to ignore the fact that, in the event of an appointment to the board of one of their number, he or she would no longer be an "ordinary" fan, but a director.

 

As such, he or she would probably also be shocked to discover that board members are obliged to work under certain restrictive imperatives - largely financial and/or legal - with which loudly critical supporters are unfamiliar. The new director would spend most of his time explaining to those who campaigned for his co-option why he cannot instigate the measures they have in mind.

 

In addition, champions of the cause of having the "trust" represented on the board insist that they should be taken seriously, because they comprise mainly respected professionals, such as lawyers and business people. This appears rather to contradict their fundamental principle of putting an "ordinary" fan on the board.

 

Even armed with the impression of this inflated sense of themselves, however, it was something of a shock to discover that the Rangers Supporters Trust seemed to consider that no debate on the misbehaviour that marked the latest Celtic-Rangers match could be completed - or even regarded as official - without their contribution.

 

Their entry took the form of an email sent to the country's major media outlets. Referring to themselves as RST - presumably on the assumption that anyone who is anyone would recognise it as instantly as they would such other Old Firm-related abbreviations as DOB and FTP - the trust revealed its "unequivocal" backing of the Rangers chief executive, Martin Bain, and its call to the Scottish FA to investigate the behaviour of the Celtic manager, Neil Lennon.

 

As an exercise in self-importance, this revived a once-famous image of the preposterously pompous Italian warmonger, Benito Mussolini, as he stood on a platform, arms crossed over a puffed-out chest, head nodding his agreement with the crowd below as they acclaimed him as Il Duce. It was as close as anyone made of flesh and bone could possibly come to playing a cartoon character.

 

Thankfully, many sports editors - though, regrettably, not all - demonstrated their disdain for the uninvited intrusion by sending the email straight to trash.

 

http://sport.scotsman.com/football/Glenn-Gibbons-Matter-of-trust.6732801.jp

[plgsarmy 111]

Ask your editor who the RST are Glenn. We've been writing a column in your newspaper for the last 5 years. Still when one of Sellick's main cheerleaders criticises us we must be doing something right.

[Bluedell 5,815]

What a crap article. I'm sure there's a lot that the RST could be criticised for but Gibbons doesn't come close.

[maineflyer 0]

Ask your editor who the RST are Glenn. We've been writing a column in your newspaper for the last 5 years. Still when one of Sellick's main cheerleaders criticises us we must be doing something right.

 

It's time that you and those like you gave it a fucking rest. The RST is a joke and has been from the outset ... populated by petty, pumped-up posers who wouldn't know how to run water down a steep hill. The more you people squeal and squirm at valid criticism, the more you make total arses of yourselves. Which is fine by me so long as you don't attach your fatuous ego trips to my club and demean it by trying to convince intelligent people that there is some point to your windbag behaviour. For fuck's sake, please stop embarrassing us with your endless fucking drivel.

 

Glenn Gibbons might have plenty faults as a journalist but I think you'll find an awful lot of Rangers people are in complete agreement with him when it comes to the empty drum you're trying to defend. The RST is based on a ridiculous premise that never ever stretched further than the end of your collective self-importance and has changed absolutely nothing for the better at this club. It really is time it just quietly went away for good.