The Rangers Brand - what does it stand for?

[Bill 13,717]

I often hear fans discussing the Rangers identity - what the club stands for – and I find myself wondering what values, if any, the club actually does represent. What exactly is the Rangers brand?

 

I recently watched a Prime video on the life and career of Sir Alex Ferguson “Never Give In”. In football terms it obviously focussed on his achievements as a manager at Aberdeen and Manchester United but there were also hugely negative references to his experiences at Rangers, casting the club as a vindictive cultural dinosaur that was driven by sectarian preferences. I make no comment on the veracity of this but I felt it was nevertheless quite damaging.

 

It made me wonder where we are as a club and attendant community. While this is bound to be a subjective matter, it does seem to me that we had a clear set of values in the Struth/Symon era, values that were generally recognised in a positive sense by much of the external football community. Since the sacking of Scot Symon (coincident with the SAF era) there’s a body of opinion that we have often struggled as a club to maintain a positive brand. I’d be interested to see the opinions of other members.

[Gonzo79 15,294]

I think we've gone beyond being able to repair our 'brand' reputation in Scotland.  Too many enemies around to fix (or bother fixing) it.

 

In England, I don't think they care much at all about Scottish football and the same goes for Europe.  We're an irrelevance. 

 

It is what it is.  The club tick the relevant boxes and the support have improved in many respects but with such big crowds, there will always be the occasional incident.  We have been too ready to accept accusations, as a club and a support, without fighting back and that has partly lead us to where we are today.  

 

And Alex Ferguson is a bitter old git, who has never forgiven the club for his sharp exit. 

[Bill 13,717]

12 minutes ago, Gonzo79 said:

I think we've gone beyond being able to repair our 'brand' reputation in Scotland.  Too many enemies around to fix (or bother fixing) it.

 

In England, I don't think they care much at all about Scottish football and the same goes for Europe.  We're an irrelevance. 

 

It is what it is.  The club tick the relevant boxes and the support have improved in many respects but with such big crowds, there will always be the occasional incident.  We have been too ready to accept accusations, as a club and a support, without fighting back and that has partly lead us to where we are today.  

 

And Alex Ferguson is a bitter old git, who has never forgiven the club for his sharp exit. 

Perhaps you didn't understand the question. 

[Gonzo79 15,294]

47 minutes ago, Bill said:

Perhaps you didn't understand the question. 

Perhaps.  

 

1 hour ago, Bill said:

what values, if any, the club actually does represent. What exactly is the Rangers brand?

Whatever Rangers once stood for has been diluted significantly due to various factors.  Values no longer truly matter in the world of commerce.  

[Malangsob 1,264]

1 hour ago, Bill said:

I often hear fans discussing the Rangers identity - what the club stands for – and I find myself wondering what values, if any, the club actually does represent. What exactly is the Rangers brand?

 

I recently watched a Prime video on the life and career of Sir Alex Ferguson “Never Give In”. In football terms it obviously focussed on his achievements as a manager at Aberdeen and Manchester United but there were also hugely negative references to his experiences at Rangers, casting the club as a vindictive cultural dinosaur that was driven by sectarian preferences. I make no comment on the veracity of this but I felt it was nevertheless quite damaging.

 

It made me wonder where we are as a club and attendant community. While this is bound to be a subjective matter, it does seem to me that we had a clear set of values in the Struth/Symon era, values that were generally recognised in a positive sense by much of the external football community. Since the sacking of Scot Symon (coincident with the SAF era) there’s a body of opinion that we have often struggled as a club to maintain a positive brand. I’d be interested to see the opinions of other members.

I watched it, and didn't see the portrayal of Rangers in that way.

 

I think it was accurate.

 

Guy grew up in a rough town, supporting Rangers.

 

He got his shot, and failed at the club.

 

He then used that as a driver to fire (partially) him toward success. 

 

I think his failure at Rangers scared the shit out of him because it was his first.

 

Concurrently, he saw the alternative, a life in those ship yards, pounding rivets, just like dad.

 

Nothing inaccurate about the 'brutality' of Rangers. It is an unforgiving club, with and equally unforgiving fanbase. 

 

You meet the standard, or get your ass up the road. 

 

Alex found his path, and Rangers were a part of that. 

[CammyF 8,119]

Personally, I believe the Rangers Charity Foundation is the standard for our "brand" and "values". 

 

They / we support local, national and global causes and the work that the Rangers family do with Erskine is another pillar of our values. 

 

Historic association with Royalist and Loyalist causes is still part of a % of our fan base, but like all historical links, gets diluted generation after generation. 

 

Our reputation in Scotland has never bothered me. We were "disliked" as we were once seen as the establishment club and we are the most successful team in Scotland.

 

We are now disliked as we are seen (rightly or wrongly) as the last and largest bastion (is that the correct term) of Unionism in Scotland, so we are a threat to Nationalism, SNP and independence. 

 

There may be a few generalisms thrown in there, but that's my viewpoints! 

 

 

[Bill 13,717]

1 hour ago, Malangsob said:

I watched it, and didn't see the portrayal of Rangers in that way

I’m surprised. There was a very specific point made by SAF that beating Rangers in the cup final was far more important to him than winning the cup. In fact didn’t he say he didn’t just want to beat Rangers but to humiliate them and attributed that to the belief he had been scapegoated for the 1969 cup final by directors who had previously questioned his wife’s Catholicism. More than one of his Aberdeen players remarked that SAF was much more motivated to beat Rangers than Celtic.  I’m not sure how much this relates to the issue of a Rangers brand identity but it was made clear (at least in his opinion) that there were matters other than football that were driving decisions at the club. Certainly, the blind panic after both Berwick and the 1969 cup final suggests a club with less than secure foundations in the board room. Familiar eh?

[Bill 13,717]

23 minutes ago, CammyF said:

Our reputation in Scotland has never bothered me. We were "disliked" as we were once seen as the establishment club and we are the most successful team in Scotland.

I don’t think that’s entirely true. I remember Rangers being universally lauded during our tour of the Soviet Union. Things definitely changed with Celtic’s Lisbon triumph and original NIAR, as well as the polarisation of the Ulster Troubles. But there was a time when the Rangers brand was almost synonymous with Scotland’s in footballing terms. 
 

In any case, all of that is less important that whether Rangers currently has a clear identity and direction, both of which are surely crucial in underpinning a coherent business plan. 

[CammyF 8,119]

23 minutes ago, Bill said:

I don’t think that’s entirely true. I remember Rangers being universally lauded during our tour of the Soviet Union. Things definitely changed with Celtic’s Lisbon triumph and original NIAR, as well as the polarisation of the Ulster Troubles. But there was a time when the Rangers brand was almost synonymous with Scotland’s in footballing terms. 
 

In any case, all of that is less important that whether Rangers currently has a clear identity and direction, both of which are surely crucial in underpinning a coherent business plan. 

I must be younger than you 😏 😁

 

I said in my 1st response, in my opinion the work done via the Rangers Charity Foundation is certainly part of our identity. Whether that's sufficient for others, that's up to them to decide

 

As for direction? That's the boards role to identify and get the supporters "engaged". 

[Malangsob 1,264]

52 minutes ago, Bill said:

I’m surprised. There was a very specific point made by SAF that beating Rangers in the cup final was far more important to him than winning the cup. In fact didn’t he say he didn’t just want to beat Rangers but to humiliate them and attributed that to the belief he had been scapegoated for the 1969 cup final by directors who had previously questioned his wife’s Catholicism. More than one of his Aberdeen players remarked that SAF was much more motivated to beat Rangers than Celtic.  I’m not sure how much this relates to the issue of a Rangers brand identity but it was made clear (at least in his opinion) that there were matters other than football that were driving decisions at the club. Certainly, the blind panic after both Berwick and the 1969 cup final suggests a club with less than secure foundations in the board room. Familiar eh?

Yeah...because he got dumped by his dream date.

 

Celtic were not.

 

Of course he had a chip.
 

Some guys can take defeat, and move on but that is not Alex's psychology.

 

Look, I bet you anything, if you and me could hop in a time machine, and go back to 1960's Glasgow the only thing on young Alex's mind would be playin for Rangers.

 

The kid came from a rough place, dreaming of football, Rangers football, and when he got there it didn't work out.

 

Some guys can say "meh...movin on", some guys can't.

 

Some guys it destroys, and some it is like puttin a rocket engine under their ass. 

 

Rangers rejection was that rocket engine.

 

Now was it ALL Rangers?

 

No...but it sure was a nice piece. 

 

You gotta take the bitter and the sweet...it all makes the man.

 

Rangers rejection was like eating a box of lye for Alex.

 

That's a badge in my book.