SoS Action at Sports Direct Shops

[chilledbear 16]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2789354/furious-rangers-fans-staged-angry-protest-against-mike-ashley-s-increasing-influence-sports-direct-stores.html

[chilledbear 16]

Rangers fans took their objections over Mike Ashley’s growing influence in Ibrox affairs to the tycoon’s Sports Direct stores in a ‘symbolic’ protest yesterday.

Supporters affiliated to the Sons Of Struth group and other Union Of Fans organisations disrupted business at shops throughout the country during Saturday lunchtime trade.

And Craig Houston, founder of SOS, suggested that further ‘flash mob’ action will be taken to the tills of Ashley’s interests in weeks to come.

The centrepiece of the disruption was staged at the Glasgow Fort complex where fans went on to target the clothing shop Cruise, also owned by the billionaire businessman who was able to buy naming rights for Ibrox Stadium for £1 from former Rangers chief executive Charles Green.

The campaigners want Ashley, who has a stranglehold on the club’s retail contracts and owns 8.9 per cent of Rangers shares, to rip up his right to activate a renaming of Ibrox Stadium.

Houston said: 'Over 100 Rangers fans staged a protest outside the shop then went into the store to pick up items, some expensive and some normal.

'They were ran through the till and, when told the value of the transaction, each supporter offered £1. That, of course, is significant because it’s the same amount at which Mike Ashley values the name of Ibrox.

'The symbolic part is that he values his golf clubs, t-shirts or whatever other sporting goods he sells at far greater than the name of our club’s stadium.

'We were in the store for just under an hour and we also shut off tills in Cruise for half an hour after that.

 

'We know Mike Ashley knows about it because there was extra security at stores around the country so it’s also cost him money to man the shops.'

Ashley’s increasing interest in Rangers – backed by football board chairman Sandy Easdale – is regarded as a matter of extreme concern by supporters.

He is seen as the threat to any hope of a Rangers fans’ buyout from Dave King, George Letham and Paul Murray who have been in talks with chief executive Graham Wallace over a £16 million bail-out.

The Newcastle United owner has called for an extraordinary meeting in an effort to push through the removal of Wallace and boardroom ally, finance director Philip Nash.

Union of Fans, the supporters’ umbrella group, has sought to oppose Ashley’s power grab and EGM call by urging the Scottish Football Association to take action on what they perceive to be a breach of dual ownership rules.

 

Ashley has an agreement with the SFA limiting him to a stake of no more than 10 per cent in Rangers while he is in control of Newcastle. But the articles of association at Hampden state that no one individual involved in another club ‘has any power whatsoever to influence the management or administration of a club’ without prior written consent.

SOS organiser Houston expects Rangers supporters to step up their hostility to Ashley in the weeks ahead while turning on the current unpopular board of the club in upcoming home fixtures.

They have implored fans to attend the Armed Forces Day when Raith Rovers visit Ibrox on Saturday and call for the removal of Sandy Easdale – then stage a boycott for the League Cup tie against St Johnstone on Tuesday, October 28.

“The general feeling was one of delight at how the Sports Direct protest went,” said Houston. “We’ll give it a couple of free days to see if there’s any response from Sports Direct and, if there is none, then we will maybe replicate the protests - and we’d expect numbers to be greater if we have to repeat these actions. We’re asking fans to have a one match boycott at the end of the month and we’ll have activities planned for that St Johnstone match and other home games.”

[aweebluesoandso 290]

Well done to the Bears and Bearettes that turned out today.

[the gunslinger 3,366]

The next one should be 100 bears just queuing up to but a pair of socks and the lining up to exchange them repeatedly all day.

[SteveC 150]

The next one should be 100 bears just queuing up to but a pair of socks and the lining up to exchange them repeatedly all day.

 

Thousands of online orders all made and then cancelled?

[Ser Barristan Selmy 222]

This is a pathetic idea. What do they think this could possibly achieve?

[SteveC 150]

Perhaps they feel it is better than doing sweet f a? Impressive coverage in the Daily Mail is already more than nothing. Granted Ashley is unlikely to care much but it is still something however little rather than just allowing us to be ripped apart without a murmer as has become our way.

[Super Cooper 0]

With Ser on this. Makes SoS and indeed Rangers fans look more foolish than SD or Ashley. Daft idea which will have no effect whatsoever on Ashleys plans.

[Ser Barristan Selmy 222]

Perhaps they feel it is better than doing sweet f a? Impressive coverage in the Daily Mail is already more than nothing. Granted Ashley is unlikely to care much but it is still something however little rather than just allowing us to be ripped apart without a murmer as has become our way.

The phrase doing something is better than nothing isn't always correct. This will only reflect on us negatively. The only people at Sports Direct who will be impacted are the underpaid employees.

[SteveC 150]

The Mail coverage didn't look negative to me, they seemed to be impressed. Crap paper, I know but unusual to see Rangers' fans portrayed without the usual scale of snidey to vile bile asides. Certainly didn't stint on photos either.

 

 

EDIT: PS and this one report alone could alert non-forum or social media bears to the £1 atrocity; and certainly also bring it to a different audience.