Pulling together

[rbr 1,270]

The use of the words 'kick' and 'kicking' was purely metaphorical, hyperbolic in fact, but as long as you got my point that's the main thing.

 

I find it highly amusing that so many influential supporters would genuinely like to see a full-scale fan ownership scenario for Rangers when they can't even collectively agree to cooperate with one-another on a joint project. You'd think that as a board member of our Supporters Trust, Mark Dingwall should literally be forced by the board to let bygones be bygones and either cooperate openly with other fan sites or appoint another representative or two (willing volunteers) from FF to do so on the site's behalf. It should be a matter of great importance to the RST that all fan sites can work with one-another and if any one man is stopping this from being possible, then he shouldn't be allowed to continue in a role as an RST board member. Simples.[/QUOTE]

 

And with that one quote Zappa , you have hit the nail on the preverbial head , however it needs to be asked just who is gaining more from his current position the RST or MD , i think we all know the answer to that one

[Danny 0]

I agree completely with Rab's sentiments which are admirable. I would imagine that substantially all of RM's posters would be in favour of the supporters working together.

 

 

What about the staff? And if miraculously the powers that be all support his initiative, which is an achievement in itself, you'll have a hard time getting the same courtesy from FF.

[Danny 0]

Apologies all, I didn't see that this thread had been made. Many thanks for the kind words and also thanks for making this a bit of a discussion. There's no fun in anything if everyone agrees all the time and challenging views are the ones that bring the best results.

 

Nevertheless, I think it was Northampton_Loyalist who said something the other day that really stuck with me, to paraphrase, that 'everyone involved needs to look at themselves'. At the time, my reply was that I had nothing to have on my conscience, but it's irked me since. It's what prompted me to think that if I'm not going to be one to try and change things then I'm just going to be one that perpetuates difficulties - and I don't want to be that guy.

 

We need to get away from thinking website vs. website, supporters group vs. supporters group and to be thinking as a collective of supporters albeit with some of that collective not getting on. What we shouldn't do, is let those that have no agenda, have no past to speak of, not have the chance to try to make something work.

 

Just because it hasn't always been perfect, doesn't mean that it can't be better.

 

Noble sentiments Rab, but people don't change. You're pissing in the wind if you think you're going to get progress. Your forum, from what I experienced, was full of infighting. And that was just the staff. FF is hardly any better. You can try and change all this, but short of a Rangers forum revolution where everyone sees the error of their ways, I can't see success coming from this.

[Frankie 8,682]

I don't think I've seen any in-fighting from RM staff.

 

Sure there are a few healthy disagreements from time to time but generally all the mods/admin get on well as far as I can see - although I don't spend a lot of time on such stuff there at the moment.

[Zappa 0]

And with that one quote Zappa , you have hit the nail on the preverbial head , however it needs to be asked just who is gaining more from his current position the RST or MD , i think we all know the answer to that one

 

I see what you're saying and I've seen the point you're making mentioned before, but since MD wants to stay on the board it should give the RST a fair degree of leverage and influence on the situation. The RST are the ones who's main aim is for the fans to one day own the club, however to achieve this and not just be a barrier themselves they should not only recognise the need for the fans to work together, but actively try to make it happen.

[rbr 1,270]

I see what you're saying and I've seen the point you're making mentioned before, but since MD wants to stay on the board it should give the RST a fair degree of leverage and influence on the situation. The RST are the ones who's main aim is for the fans to one day own the club, however to achieve this and not just be a barrier themselves they should not only recognise the need for the fans to work together, but actively try to make it happen.

 

I agree whole heartedly , however to some MD and the RST are one in the same

[Zappa 0]

I agree whole heartedly , however to some MD and the RST are one in the same

 

If that were really the case, then there would be a very serious problem for the RST because of the glaring contradictions. You can't have a Supporters Trust which only wants to work with one section of fans and not all of the others too. This would completely conflict with the whole point of a Supporters Trust and blatently break the Membership Policy of Supporters Direct by not adhering to the key features in the Model Rules for a Community Mutual.

Edited April 6, 2011 by Zappa

[Danny 0]

I don't think I've seen any in-fighting from RM staff.

 

Sure there are a few healthy disagreements from time to time but generally all the mods/admin get on well as far as I can see - although I don't spend a lot of time on such stuff there at the moment.

 

Was once the case big style. And even now I gather that the majority staff team does one thing, then others come on and overturn that decision. Great team.

[boss 0]

Was once the case big style. And even now I gather that the majority staff team does one thing, then others come on and overturn that decision. Great team.

 

As Frankie said above, I must also have missed all that. IMO RM has a great team that work hard to improve the site and there's no in-fighting within the team. I can't speak for the site or the Admin/Mods, but it would surprise me if substantially all of them were not keen for the supporters to work more closely together.

[maineflyer 0]

The use of the words 'kick' and 'kicking' was purely metaphorical, hyperbolic in fact, but as long as you got my point that's the main thing.

 

I find it highly amusing that so many influential supporters would genuinely like to see a full-scale fan ownership scenario for Rangers when they can't even collectively agree to cooperate with one-another on a joint project. You'd think that as a board member of our Supporters Trust, Mark Dingwall should literally be forced by the board to let bygones be bygones and either cooperate openly with other fan sites or appoint another representative or two (willing volunteers) from FF to do so on the site's behalf. It should be a matter of great importance to the RST that all fan sites can work with one-another and if any one man is stopping this from being possible, then he shouldn't be allowed to continue in a role as an RST board member. Simples.

 

I wasn't questioning your choice of words, simply trying to emphasize that while it's satisfying to react to Rabbit's proposal in a positive manner, there's no shifting people who don't want to be shifted. If Dingwall doggedly chooses to maintain his current stance then the notion of general unity is futile, at least one including FF. Everything we've seen from him tells us he can and likely will maintain a separate position. It might be more practical for other groups to demonstrate a willingness to cooperate and thereby to leave FF isolated and it's members perhaps questioning why. Perhaps the biggest problem is that unity itself isn't the objective, it's only the proposed means to some other set of objectives, and putting supporter unity to some practical use probably means having a collective voice - something that will also remain compromised while Dingwall continues to exert so much influence over the RST.

 

I agree with you that he shouldn't be allowed to continue to obstruct RST progress but, again, who is going to do the disallowing. So many RST board members have come and gone over recent years to have confidence it will ever be done from within and, if not from within the RST, then from where? What's missing, as ever, is the means to affect change and without it this and other initiatives, while admirable, will not get beyond aspiration. I get your point, and agree with it, I just can't see how it gets put into practice. Someone may well have a cunning plan and I'm just too dumb to see it.