Supporters Direct chief calls on Rangers fans to unite...

[ian1964 10,761]

.........and steer club into fan control

 

1 Feb 2014 07:56

 

PAUL GOODWIN believes the Light Blues legions could own the Ibrox club within 18 months following successful attempts by Hearts and Motherwell.

 

 

 

SUPPORTERS DIRECT chief Paul Goodwin believes Rangers fans can assume control of their troubled club within 18 months.

 

Goodwin, the head of SD in Scotland, has long championed the importance of community ownership within our national game.

 

And he is convinced the Ibrox faithful can overthrow the current regime – providing they mobilise themselves into one powerful movement and start pulling in the same direction.

 

At the moment there are four main fan organisations – The Rangers Supporters Trust, The Rangers Assembly, The Rangers Supporters Association and the Sons of Struth – with all groups battling for supremacy.

 

But Goodwin, who helped oversee fan buy-outs at Stirling Albion, Clyde, Dunfermline and East Stirling has called for them to unite as one.

 

Indeed, given the lack of trust in the current board, the lack of transparency, the current climate of financial uncertainty along Edmiston Drive and the plunging share price, he reckons this is an ideal opportunity to get the bandwagon rolling.

 

Goodwin said: “I believe if the Rangers fans united, and that is the key, into one cohesive unit there is no reason why they can’t own the club within 18 months.

 

“At the moment we have 8000 Hearts supporters paying £20 a month as they move towards fan ownership and if you have 20,000 Rangers fans doing the same you can go out and buy shares because it is a liquid market.

 

“The simple maths say 20,000 fans paying £20 a month would give you £4.8million in a year.

 

“It just needs the right type of people to pull that together and that is the hard part for Rangers.

 

“I don’t have any doubt it can be done. SD have been working in conjunction with clubs right across Europe.

 

“In Greece you have Olympiakos and Panathinaikos and there are plenty of clubs in Spain, Poland and France who are also going down this route.

 

“Hearts are the biggest we know of in this country going down the route of fan ownership at the moment.”

 

The Rangers share price has plummeted in recent months, from 70p to just 26p and for just over £4m, fans would be able to command a 25 per cent stake in the club.

 

And Goodwin insists the Ibrox outfit’s supporters have nothing to lose pursuing the community ownership route having given their backing to the Craig Whyte and Charles Green regimes with catastrophic consequences.

 

He said: “I believed that Rangers being placed into administration represented a significant window of opportunity to buy the club.

 

“Of course, as we know, this didn’t happen for a variety of reasons; mostly because for many years the fans had been divided and ruled by previous owners of the club and had been left without a united voice, forced to pick sides in amongst political infighting.

 

“Time has moved on and Rangers have unfortunately continued to be dogged by further challenges at the back end of the administration process.

 

“It could have been so different if a credible fans’ bid had been used to galvanise the Ibrox faithful as we have seen at Dundee, Dunfermline Athletic, Portsmouth down in England and of course at Hearts.

 

“Rangers supporters in the past have been used to following leaders whether it be Paul Murray, Craig Whyte or somebody else.

 

“This is breaking the mould and now they don’t have to follow anybody.

 

“What can the objection be?

 

“It can give the fans the empowerment to pick exactly who they want to

represent them.

 

“We have four clubs in Scotland that are currently fan owned and we have another four waiting in the wings – Annan, Ayr, Motherwell and Hearts. It is the way forward because there is no other route.”

 

Goodwin confirmed he has already spoken with supporters’ representatives from Rangers.

 

He said: “I have been talking with them over the past 10 days and I will continue that dialogue to see whether there is something we can do.

 

“There is a real opportunity here and I don’t think there is anything to lose.

 

“We can advise and consult but it is ultimately up to them.

 

“Some people have to emerge from the shadows and then we can give them all the support possible.”

 

Goodwin was speaking at the launch of ‘The Colour of our Scarves’ initiative which has been organised by Supporters Direct to help highlight the issue of sectarianism.

 

World renowned photographer Stuart Roy Clarke has been commissioned to produce a series of images captured at every senior ground in Scotland.

 

The project has been funded by the Scottish government and Goodwin is hoping the sectarianism problem can be tackled through imagery rather than words. He said: “We wanted to try to demonstrate through Stuart’s amazing pictures that all fans are the same, apart from the scarves around their necks.

 

“It is the same emotions that bind us all together and that was the reasons behind the project.

 

“We are going round every single ground and also doing loads of

workshops in schools and colleges.

 

“It is becoming less of an issue but you need to keep working at it.”

 

Clarke, who singled out Aberdeen as his favourite fans to photograph, has been amazed by the reaction to his pictures which will be on show at a touring exhibition around the country over the next 18 months.

 

He said: “The response has been overwhelming.

 

“While I like banter and edginess I don’t like hatred so hopefully this project can make a small

difference to a big problem.”

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/supporters-direct-chief-calls-rangers-3100404

[ranger_syntax 4,422]

At the moment there are four main fan organisations – The Rangers Supporters Trust, The Rangers Assembly, The Rangers Supporters Association and the Sons of Struth – with all groups battling for supremacy.

 

Did the journalist just imagine this bit?

 

As far as I can tell these groups work together.

[ian1964 10,761]

It can be done, but Rangers fans are too divided!, it would take a leader for the fans to get behind, an ex player or someone that the fans trust, right now there seems to be people with personal agendas.

[ranger_syntax 4,422]

It can be done, but Rangers fans are too divided!, it would take a leader for the fans to get behind, an ex player or someone that the fans trust, right now there seems to be people with personal agendas.

 

This is what many fans often say. Unfortunately, in my opinion, it misses the point of fan ownership.

 

As Goodwin mentions:

 

“Rangers supporters in the past have been used to following leaders whether it be Paul Murray, Craig Whyte or somebody else.

 

“This is breaking the mould and now they don’t have to follow anybody.

[ian1964 10,761]

Quote from Mark Dingwall on FF:

 

Goodwin is also being very disingenuous as he's been encouraging a small group of former RST members to set up yet another organisation in competition with the existing organisations despite the RSt being a fully paid up and constituent member of Supporters Direct,

 

The new outfit was conceived in deceit and as a former RST board member I have watched in horror at the behaviour of certain former colleagues.

 

Trust this mob Goodwin is promoting with a tenner a month? After seeing some of them in action I wouldn't trust anything they are involved in further than I could spit.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

Quote from Mark Dingwall on FF:

 

Goodwin is also being very disingenuous as he's been encouraging a small group of former RST members to set up yet another organisation in competition with the existing organisations despite the RSt being a fully paid up and constituent member of Supporters Direct,

 

The new outfit was conceived in deceit and as a former RST board member I have watched in horror at the behaviour of certain former colleagues.

 

Trust this mob Goodwin is promoting with a tenner a month? After seeing some of them in action I wouldn't trust anything they are involved in further than I could spit.

 

Rearrange these words into a well known phrase or saying: GLASS HOUSES STONES PEOPLE IN SHOULDN'T THROW.

[ian1964 10,761]

Rearrange these words into a well known phrase or saying: GLASS HOUSES STONES PEOPLE IN SHOULDN'T THROW.

 

Agreed, but a good example of the division within the Rangers support?.

[BrahimHemdani 1]

It has been said by some that Mr Dingwall is a a major reason for that and without knowing the whys and wherefores of this new initiative; this would appear to be yet another instance.

 

Duplicated at #10, tried to delete this one twice.

Edited February 2, 2014 by BrahimHemdani

[ian1964 10,761]

“At the moment we have 8000 Hearts supporters paying £20 a month as they move towards fan ownership and if you have 20,000 Rangers fans doing the same you can go out and buy shares because it is a liquid market.

 

“The simple maths say 20,000 fans paying £20 a month would give you £4.8million in a year.

 

“It just needs the right type of people to pull that together and that is the hard part for Rangers.

 

It seems very doable!

[BrahimHemdani 1]

Agreed, but a good example of the division within the Rangers support?.

 

It has been said by some that Mr Dingwall is a major reason for that and whilst I do not know the whys and wherefores of this new initiative this would appear to be yet another example.