rangers140years 02 Aug Rangers Fan Ownership Official Statement - POSTED ON AUGUST 02, 2013 The fan ownership debate has thrown up many issues over the years. Is it viable? Who runs the club? Which fan represents the support when the fanbase rarely agree on the anything, never mind running Rangers. Perhaps it is time to try and iron out some misconceptions. No Rangers fan is greater than the other and the importance of our collective contribution is still underestimated. Who will manage the Club’s affairs? Recent events have proved that credible, competent and professional individuals should be the basic criteria for sitting on the board and deciding the Club’s fate, and not faceless investors looking to maximise their return through carefully designed sound bites and false dawns which amount to nothing. I, and perhaps you, want a group of professional businessmen to propose the reasons why they should be elected. I don’t want the fans accepting the next CEO or non-executive board member because we have no or little influence in such decisions. Give me an AGM where hustings are employed; where candidates are vetted by the ever vigilant Rangers Family, leaving no stone unturned, in their quest to discover the suitability of proposed candidates. Not every candidate or strategy will be a success, but by applying simple guidelines for election and board governance we will ensure we get more right than wrong. How good would that be? The next Stock Exchange announcement is because of our actions, not an unelected board. How viable is fan ownership? The question is: Who are the single biggest investors in Rangers? We are! Moreover, how many times have you discussed the club’s potential in monetising every area of trading within the club? Willing to bet it involved the support? Season Ticket sales are historically the largest income generator for the club. What about commercial revenue with the likes of Sky etc. Well, the reasons Sky and other blue-chip companies invest is all down to the size and passion of the support. Our continued loyalty fuels the demand for outside investment which in turn funds the acquisition of players, stadium upgrades and other internal opportunities to grow. None of this is new, we all know it, but where it went wrong previously was the loss of discipline, egoism and policies which we had no control over. Would you prefer to have an influence on fiscal policy, or would you rather place faith in men you don’t know? What about supporter representation? What about fan representation? As supporters we are demanding, and rightly so, and the demands of an unpaid representative should be no less. The criteria to manage Rangers will also apply to any supporter coveting the position of representing the support: credible, competent and must be elected. Is that it? One person is elected and we expect great things from him or her? But what if we extend fan representation further and create a supporters’ board to cover the broad and diverse support we have? Let’s get all the various groups and websites meeting regularly who feedback and share ideas to further improve the Club’s position. Each group and website has their own sphere of influence which cannot be ignored. To fully realise the potential of our wonderful support we must engage and discuss our options. You just might find that disagreements are healthy; that the ‘splits’ are exaggerated and we all love Rangers in common. BuyRangers.org is the vehicle not the answer. You’re the answer!
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 18:28:58 +0000
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