Rangers First target second wave of Ibrox support

[ian1964 10,622]

RANGERS are in the calm after the storm ...

 

 

 

and while it is far from plain sailing at Ibrox, the club is now heading out of the choppy waters with new men at the helm.

 

The boardroom battle may have been won, but the hard work has only just begun for Dave King, Paul Murray, John Gilligan and Douglas Park as they look to rebuild the club, restore it to its former glory and return it to the top of Scottish football.

 

For supporters, it is a time of optimism, of relief, but not one to sit back and think that the job is done as their most significant part in the recovery is arguably still to come.

 

Ricki Neill became the public face of Rangers First in the weeks prior to the EGM that saw the last remnants of the old regime finally kicked out of Ibrox as King and Co. claimed a landslide victory.

 

The lifelong Light Blue rallied fans to the cause in the build-up to the make-or-break shareholder summit, with thousands stepping up and paying as RF became the largest fan ownership group in the United Kingdom.

 

As the new board continue to go about their work diligently behind the scenes, there is still a significant role for supporters to play.

 

The momentum may have slowed in recent weeks, but the message remains the same, the desire of those who have made significant strides to continue making steps in the right direction as strong as ever.

 

Now is not a time for fans to rest on their laurels. Instead, it is a chance to redouble their efforts and secure their place at the heart of their club.

 

"A lot of fans think that everything is sorted because we have got the new board, but we are still encouraging fans to join RangersFirst," Neill told SportTimes.

 

"We would like to get to around the 40,000 membership mark for the summer and then we can make a real difference to the club with the kind of investment we can provide.

 

"At some clubs, when they are winning, the first thing fans cancel is their membership, but when things aren't going well, they come back on board.

 

"I don't think that will happen at Rangers. The fans will stay with us and we will continue to grow. We can't allow the events of the past four years to happen again.

 

"Rangers fans are loyal and they will stick by their club and their supporters' groups. We can't go through what we have been through again. The fans won't let it happen."

 

With familiar faces at the top of the Marble Staircase, Rangers fans can sleep easy at night in the knowledge their club is in the hands of people who know it, will care for it and want it to aspire and achieve once again.

 

The days of worrying about the actions and motives of Craig Whyte or Charles Green, or any of their cohorts, are gone as supporters look forward to a brighter future on and off the park.

 

Having been shut out for too long, their voices will be heard by a new regime that is eager to get them back onside, and let them inside the boardroom.

 

There is still some way to go, but Neill is confident Rangers are back on the right track. He said: "Dave King said it is like rebuilding Rangers brick by brick, and that is very true. We don't know what kind of mess is there just now. There is a long way to go.

 

"The team looked a lot more positive against Hibs and gave the fans something to cheer on Sunday. Hopefully they can continue that for the rest of the season.

 

"Hopefully the fans buy tickets for the rest of the season, buy their season tickets for next year, sign up and really engage with the club again.

 

"The board need the fans' support more than ever now. It is going to be a long haul and it is going to be hard, but we will get there together and with the club in the hands of Rangers men."

 

If those days of fear and worry are to be consigned to the history books, the new Ibrox board will need to have the fans on their side.

 

With two million shares and 13,500 members to their name, Rangers First are poised to play their own significant role in the Light Blues' future.

 

The more fans that join, the more money they can raise and the greater their influence can become. Their principles won't change, however.

 

Neill said: "The word that everyone keeps talking about is transparency and we are very open with our members.

 

"We send out an email every couple of weeks and we keep everyone up to date with what we are doing. We want what is best for Rangers.

 

"Being open and honest is the way ahead. Communication with each other and between the fans and the new board is key going forward."

 

Having disposed of a distrusted and beleaguered band of directors, Rangers are back under the stewardship of men who have the club's best interests at heart.

 

And the sight of the Greatest-Ever Ranger, John Greig, back at Ibrox for the Championship fixture with Queen of the South was another step in the right direction for Rangers, and a vote of confidence for King, Murray, Gilligan and Park.

 

Neill said: "I was invited to the Directors' Box that night and it was an honour to walk through the doors and up the Marble Staircase. It was amazing to be in the Blue Room.

 

"Everyone was talking and then all of a sudden it went quiet and John Greig walked in. It was very fitting.

 

"The whole place went silent and there were people hugging him and wishing him well. It was an amazing experience."

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-first-target-second-wave-of-ibrox-support-201193n.121394514

[ian1964 10,622]

Rangers First eye Ibrox board talks

 

REPRESENTATIVES from Rangers First hope to meet the new Ibrox board within the next couple of weeks to discuss their investment plans as they set themselves ambitious membership targets in the coming months.

 

 

 

The group shot to prominence during the recent boardroom battle and saw a huge upturn in numbers as thousands of supporters signed up to play their part in removing the former regime from office.

 

Rangers First raise a significant amount of money each month that can be used to increase their 2.46% shareholding or provide funds to the club.

 

And RF director Ricki Neill is eager to forge a close working relationship with the new board after Dave King, Paul Murray and John Gilligan swept to power earlier this month.

 

He said: "We want to work closely with the board and they are open to fan involvement. We will hopefully have some discussions with them over the next couple of weeks.

 

"We know they are busy because of the state in which Rangers was left. But hopefully we can have some discussions with them about the way forward for the club.

 

"We will get to the stage where we can say to our members 'do you want to buy shares, or do you want to invest in another area?'

 

"That could be money towards the youth department, for maintenance, or whatever the club needs.

 

"At the moment, we can give tax-free donations of nearly £200,000 per month, and that is with 13,500 members. Imagine what we could do with 40,000 members.

 

"If we had 70,000, we would be making around £14million a year, and that is even more than the Champions League money.

 

"We had a question and answer session with Paul and John just before the EGM. When we started mentioning figures, they started to realise the potential that Rangers First has got.

 

"We are in the middle of writing a business plan that we will present to Rangers and show them what we can do. Hopefully within the next week or two we can sit down with them."

 

After playing their part in forcing a boardroom clearout at Ibrox, the hard work is set to continue for Neill and his fellow-RF directors.

 

The group have had a remarkable rise after it was established last year, and Neill said: "The future is looking really bright for fan ownership at Rangers. We are the biggest fan ownership group in the UK at the moment and we want to keep growing.

 

"Rangers First is all fan-led. We have not had the help of any politicians; we had no help from the previous board.

 

"Now we can work with the club and that will make a real difference to Rangers going forward."

 

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/rangers/rangers-first-eye-ibrox-board-talks-201182n.121381229