FANS LEFT IN THE DARK
Supporters hit out after latest ‘fiasco’ at club
FIVE years ago this week Rangers fans had their world turned upside down as the club was placed into administration on Valentine’s Day 2012.
In the period since, off the field the supporters have followed every move with owners coming and going, court cases, tax wrangles, disputes over assets and battles for control of the club.
On the field they have watched as their team was put into the fourth tier of Scottish football, climbed through the leagues to eventually return to the top table.
Long-serving players have left, managers have come and gone and the latest events described by some fans as a fiasco, has seen the club without a manager once again and a caretaker in place for crucial matches.
Outside Ibrox yesterday, a steady stream of supporters left the match at half time not happy with what they had seen.
While there was recognition of the club’s achievement in returning to the Premier League, many were still not satisfied with chairman Dave King and his investment so far.
Many fans who left before the end of the win over Morton were unhappy with how events unfolded and claim the supporters are left in the dark.
Halfway through the second half, despite their team leading 2-1 in the cup tie, many more were leaving early unhappy with the performance and recent events.
Mr King, via a statement on the club’s website, has defended his strategy and said he wanted to give fans information rather than rely on speculation.
The chairman admitted the club was not where it wanted to be but that the board had invested in Mark Warburton’s plans.
He said: “While I still believe that we can finish a strong second, I am stating the obvious to admit that we are not where we anticipated we would be at this stage of the season and we have not repeated the success that we had with our signings from the previous season.”
As speculation mounts over who will be the club’s new manager, charged with mounting a serious challenge to rivals Celtic next season, Mr King defended the board’s actions over terminating Mark Warburton’s contract.
He said Warburton has told him he saw Rangers as a stepping stone to an English Premier League club and said the former manager’s agent had asked for a deal to waive compensation if he was to secure a deal with another club.
Mr King said: “After discussion the Board accepted this offer and employment was immediately terminated.
“In order for us to achieve our ambitions we need employees that, like your Board members, will always put Rangers first.”
The statement continued: “While we were dealing with the admin and press releases relating to the resignation the agent again contacted us and asked to defer the resignation until the manage- ment had secured a new club. I assume that the new deal had somehow collapsed at the last minute. The Board met to consider this request but resolved to hold them to the original agreement.”
He said the interim and longterm solution was now being reviewed to ensure “a modern and robust footballing structure is put in place”, which is what the supporters at Ibrox said they are looking for.