Words fail me. Never in my forty odd years of following Rangers have I been left so angry and speechless.
Rangers’ incredible decision to play two games in Australia this coming November is without question one of the biggest Public Relations disasters I’ve ever had the misfortune to witness from a Rangers boardroom.
Let me be abundantly clear; I don’t blame James Bisgrove for this omnishambles. It’s those local to the area and have been privy to the way the other half of Glasgow has conducted itself regarding our football club over the last decade that needs to take a serious look at themselves in the mirror.
Seriously, who in that boardroom thought it a smart move to take the money and play second fiddle to the roasters across the city on the other side of the world?
The Rangers directors even managed to make an absolute arse of the announcement, leaving their “Glasgow Derby” rivals to get in first on announcing that the tournament is to be played in Sydney this coming November.
Not only did they get caught sleeping at the wheel with this, but they also allowed Celtic to dictate the narrative.
This is Big Ange’s homecoming. This is a Glasgow Derby, not an Old Firm game. The other clubs (and excuse my ignorance as I simply don’t care one bit who they are) are also promoting it as Postercoglou’s Return to Oz.
Rangers are a mere afterthought. Barely worthy of a mention in regard to the standing of this ridiculous tournament.
The Rangers directors that have sanctioned this have done so because it’s worth a lot of money. Well, I have news for them here… this is going to backfire hugely.
The announcement of this non entity of a tournament was hijacked by Celtic Football Club PLC barely an hour or two after a judge had decided that PLC should be forced to go to court and face twenty two survivors of child abuse that those survivors claim Celtic Football Club should be held responsible for.
That story is for another time, and i hope and pray those poor souls get the right to tell their traumatic stories in a court of law and those responsible are held to task while justice prevails.
That’s the level. They’ll probably use this ridiculous arrangement as a deflection tactic to control the narrative the media will highlight. Instead of people considering the implications or ramifications for the Parkhead club as they’re about to be sued for multiple millions of pounds, the media is now more concerned with a jolly down in Australia.
Rangers and their board are now parties to that. They’ve actually got into bed with this football club for money. Allowing to place themselves with a football club that will deny, deflect and use anything in its path to obliterate those survivors’ right to justice. Yes, I really do believe Rangers Football Club has helped them to a) pay their victims if it comes to that, and b) have been caught with their pants down in respect of the PR machine that their rivals are so adept at manoeuvring.
Rivals. Hahaha. That is now a misnomer. How can we have one of the most ferocious rivalries in world football when we arrange to play friendly games against each other?
The lack of self awareness from the current incumbents at Ibrox Stadium really ought to take a look at the fallout from this. For many fans, there will be no coming back from this. As I said earlier, Bisgrove is there to maximise commercial income, so this will obviously make business sense for him. For those that are from Glasgow and the surrounding area? Did you genuinely think it was a good idea to rub Rangers fans’ noses in it with this?
In case it’s escaped the Rangers directors’ attention, this ‘friendly’ game is against a club that refuses to acknowledge our existence, won’t call us by our name, nor will it use our crest when publicising games against each other.
“We aren’t half of anything,” they tell us. Well, that’s a load of baloney for a start. They’re half of the most pathetic, weak and greedy “pretend” rivalry in world football.
I expect it from the East End mob; they’ll do anything for money. I did not expect this from the club I support. Not when we’ve had to endure their absolute nonsense for a decade. The “you’re not Rangers anymore” or the “your club’s deid, beat it” to the spitting on our crest and wiping their noses on corner flags. This is who we’ve just jumped into bed with here.
I’m disgusted. Genuinely. Yes, I’ve heard that we will make more out of these two friendly games than we will for an entire league season in the SPFL, so what?
So that boardroom thinks it’s acceptable to shame its own fans, to demean them, to ignore the way that lot have continually behaved towards our club and fans for years for a few million pounds?
Shame on them, each and every one of them should be aware of how the vast majority of Rangers fans feel about this charade.
I personally want nothing to do with the “Old Firm” or them at all, as do the majority of Rangers fans, I suspect.
They don’t have their troubles to seek, as I alluded to earlier. Rangers’ decision to get involved in this Australian party for Ange only reeks of desperation from those that are set the task of leading Rangers.
This is not leadership. This is lying down and accepting a bit part in their movie. It is utterly disgraceful and shame on them for even considering this, never mind actually going ahead with it.
I’ve been through some great times with Rangers; jeez, only last week I sang myself hoarse cheering them on in an epic game at Ibrox against the German giants of Borussia Dortmund.
I was so proud of them. Everyone connected to the club had their chests puffed out, and their heads held high. It was genuinely one of the greatest nights in our one hundred and fifty year history.
Congratulations to the Rangers power players; you’ve managed to deflate a fanbase to sheer embarrassment in less than a week.
If people think that’s harsh, I don’t care. This is a horrific look for Rangers. In our one hundred and fiftieth year, we should be playing second fiddle to no one and no team, but here we are with the current (temporary?) incumbents managing to humiliate each and every one of us.
Shame on them. Shame on the lot of them. We are not their friends, and they are not ours. They hate us with every ounce of their mind, body and soul, but here we sit today with our club agreeing to be a sideshow for Big Ange? I’m struggling to remember anything that’s made me this angry when it comes to Rangers.
I mean… think of the absolute clusterf**k our club was from 2013 to 2015, and I still can’t recall anything in the memory bank that made me this speechless.
The Rangers boardroom has shown itself to be out of sync with its fanbase here. Massively out of touch and unaware of the depth of animosity Rangers fans feel toward that football club that they just partnered with for a few Aussie dollars.
We want nothing to do with them. Well, I certainly don’t. I don’t want to be tarred with the stain of their brush. Not now, not then and not at any point in the future.
I can honestly say I think this might be the biggest f**k up Rangers have made in my lifetime.
Celtic Football Club could very well be in court in November. They’ll be denying that there was any cover up while agreeing there were six abusers in the building (with more to be outed), but here Rangers sit aiding and abetting that lot and the huge elephant in the room.
No matter, it appears money is more important to some than morals and dignity. I am genuinely lost for words and can’t quite relay how disgusted I am at this.
Hang your heads in shame, Rangers. This is not a good look, and I, for one, will not ignore everything they’ve said and done in the last ten years just so we can say, “look at us, we got into profit!”
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