Amoruso urges Rangers supporters to put their trust in Dave King to oust Ibrox board

[Zappa 0]

Lorenzo Amoruso urges Rangers supporters to put their trust in Dave King to oust Ibrox board

Sunday 11 May 2014, by Stewart Fisher

 

LORENZO Amoruso last night became the latest former Rangers player to call for supporters to back Dave King and Richard Gough's plan to boycott season tickets and place the money in a trust instead as a means of forcing major boardroom change.

 

The Italian has emerged as a fierce critic of the current hierarchy and feels that placing funds in Ibrox 1972 Ltd, the vehicle introduced by King and already being used by supporters groups' the Union Bears and the Blue Order for pooling their funds, is the only mechanism for bringing about change.

 

"Too many people have been touching the heart of the club who don't deserve to be so close," said Amoruso. "They have ripped out the soul of the club. It's so frustrating for people like me who were running, chasing after every ball, spitting blood sometimes and going through so many operations.

 

" I didn't do all that to see this situation develop. We want to see better people control the club, people who really care about Rangers.

 

"I didn't really encounter Dave King much when I was a player because he was in South Africa a lot, but I met him," said Amoruso, who was in Glasgow this week.

 

"He was a director but not involved in the way David Murray was. But he is a Rangers man and he is putting himself out there and he deserves credit and support. He has been there before for the benefit of the club.

 

"This is a crucial period because season ticket holders have a week left before deciding whether to renew and from those I've spoken to I don't think there is a feeling that supporters want to renew and I think that is the best solution.

 

"It's hard to believe I am asking for the stadium to be empty. But if that is what it is going to take to get this board out then that's the way it has to be. There are easier ways to solve this problem but some people don't want to listen. That's why we must take a hardline approach. I'm sorry, this board just has to go."

 

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/lorenzo-amoruso-urges-rangers-supporters-to-put-their-trust-in-dave-king-to-oust-ibro.24190175

[chilledbear 16]

Amoruso will be a target now.

[gisabeer 409]

"It's hard to believe I am asking for the stadium to be empty. But if that is what it is going to take to get this board out then that's the way it has to be. There are easier ways to solve this problem but some people don't want to listen. That's why we must take a hardline approach. I'm sorry, this board just has to go."

 

thats exactly what its going to take.

[Zappa 0]

Amoruso will be a target now.

 

Aye, he'll be getting dogs abuse today and the rest of the week.

[TheWee BlueDevil 0]

Guaranteed, the latest Rangers legend to be public enemy No. 1 for the haters.

[Zappa 0]

Guaranteed, the latest Rangers legend to be public enemy No. 1 for the haters.

 

They'll be foaming at the mouths with the 'reb' and 'req' patter.

[buster. 5,183]

"It's hard to believe I am asking for the stadium to be empty. But if that is what it is going to take to get this board out then that's the way it has to be. There are easier ways to solve this problem but some people don't want to listen. That's why we must take a hardline approach. I'm sorry, this board just has to go."

 

thats exactly what its going to take.

 

Aye, the only language sp.ivs understand is money.

They will be wanting a prohibitive price for their controlling interests (way, way above market price).

 

So the support can fund this executive board's continued presence and look forward to a future in the Coventry City, Leeds Utd mould............

(anyone name a club that a hedge fund got involved with that ended in a happy story ?)

 

.................Or they can say enough is enough, that we'll accept another difficult year but at least be free of the lead weights in an around the current board and start to build with one aim in mind, the longterm future of the club.

[ranger_syntax 4,314]

Amoruso will be a target now.

 

Aye, he'll be getting dogs abuse today and the rest of the week.

 

Just as well that he has an indomitable spirit, well, according to his official autobiography anyway.

[ian1964 10,720]

Rangers legend Lorenzo Amoruso backs fan boycott of season tickets.

 

THE former skipper supports Dave King, Richard Gough and the Union of Fans' bid to withhold season ticket money until the current Ibrox board are ousted.

 

LORENZO AMORUSO says he spilled blood for the Rangers cause.

 

But all he’s seen for the last two years is people bleeding the club dry.

 

Almost £70 million out the front doors of Ibrox in less than two years.

 

From Craig Whyte and Charles Green to the current regime, the Italian has little time for any of them.

 

And that’s why the former Treble-winning captain says the mismanagement must stop NOW.

 

Step forward Dave King and Richard Gough. Two men Amoruso is backing to the hilt in the battle for Rangers.

 

The pair launched a new company last week for fans to deposit season ticket cash into in a bid to gain control of the stadium.

 

Gers’ current board members aren’t having it and the battle is being cranked up a notch with the majority of fans refusing to renew season tickets ahead of Friday’s deadline.

 

It pains Amoruso to see the crisis engulfing his old club two years on from administration but he reckons a hardline stance from the supporters could be the only option to get their club in the right hands.

 

The 42-year-old spoke with passion as he said: “Too many people have been touching the heart of the club that don’t deserve to be so close. They have ripped out the soul of the club.

 

“It’s so frustrating to see for people like me who were running, chasing after every ball, spitting f****** blood sometimes and going through so many operations.

 

“It’s not just me - people like Richard Gough and so many other players. I didn’t do all that to see this situation develop. Now we want to see better people control the club, people who really care about Rangers.

 

“I’m sorry, this board just has to go. The money that is raised should be used to make the club better. The fans deserve a lot of respect because every week they are turning up at the stadiums home and away despite two years of frustration playing in the third and second division.

 

“They won successive promotions and now is the time to move onto the next level because next season the competition will be more intense and Rangers need to spend a bit of money to build the team.

 

“Dave King has gone public to say he will provide some of that money and you have to take him at his word. He won’t go back on that. The board don’t seem to be offering anything - they are always dodging the big questions. They’ve had their chance.

 

“Nobody at Rangers is happy. I was in Glasgow for three days last week and when I speak to people they’re unhappy. Around £70 million has gone out of the club in less than two years and I know some of it has gone on players’ salaries but most of it has just disappeared.

 

“It’s not fair because people make sacrifices and work hard to buy a season ticket and they want to see that money invested in the club and that hasn’t happened.

 

“This is of course a crucial period because season ticket holders have a week left before deciding whether to renew. From those I’ve spoken to I don’t think there is a feeling that supporters want to renew and I think that is the best solution.

 

“The chairman, the manager and the players will all come and go but Rangers belongs to the fans. The supporters have the right to make the decision and if they decide not to buy season tickets to give someone else the chance to control the club then that is the best solution.

 

“We need to see Rangers part of competitions that really count again. People have had their chance to do that but they have failed and the fans have the right to decide who takes the club forward now. Dave King is that man as far as I am concerned.

 

“Dave King is a Rangers man and he is putting himself out there and he deserves credit and support for that. He has been there before for the benefit of the club and I really hope he gets to play an important role in the running of the club.

 

“He was a director when I was there but not involved in the way David Murray was. When I met him the thing that struck me was the he was a business man but one who knew what Rangers are all about.

 

“He knows the situation and how much people care about Rangers. It was like Paul Murray who was very public in his stance previously - he knows the meaning of being part of the fantastic Rangers family.

 

“And what can I say about Richard Gough that people don’t already know? Richard was a top class player on the pitch but he was also - as he’s showing now with his role alongside Dave King - a top class operator outside of the pitch. Those characteristics can only help Rangers now in their time of need.

 

“For me, Dave King and Richard Gough are the light at the end of a dark tunnel. If other people really wanted to do something then in a year and a half they should have done a much better job than the work that has been done.”

 

Amoruso’s biggest regret is seeing the break up of the Rangers family he felt proud to be a part of for six trophy-laden years after his arrival from Fiorentina and before departing for Blackburn Rovers.

 

He feels sadness that some of the people who helped bring that feel to the club could be lost with some staff facing possible redundancies as part of the restructure under chief executive Graham Wallace.

 

Amoruso said: “The other people who suffer here are the staff behind the scenes because I read in the newspaper that there could be some pay offs. Those people make Rangers because I’ve been inside there and whenever you need help they will always be there.

 

“From the kit man to the ladies in the kitchen and the maintenance and office staff. Many of them are Rangers fans but if they aren’t there then the club lose something.

 

“Everyone deserves better. I want the Rangers family back. I can’t believe what’s happened - never in a million years did I think they could be in this situation.

 

“The biggest concern is that it’s been more than two years since the club went into administration yet no progress has been made. I find it so frustrating to see what’s being done - or rather what’s not being done - because the club seems to have stayed at the point it was in February 2012 when it hit rock bottom.

 

“I don’t think the people there are doing the best they can. I’m so proud to have been at Rangers and even now I’m still part of that family even though I’m not actively involved with the club.

 

“Everyone who has been there knows that Rangers is about being a united family. I haven’t seen that in recent years - I see the team on one side and the board on the other.

 

“That is not what a football club like Rangers should be about. The club must be a unit. The fans are the heart of this club and are making the best choice for the benefit of the club.”

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-legend-lorenzo-amoruso-backs-3525138

[the gunslinger 3,366]

I think that's the best interview I have ever read.