Anticipation of AGM fireworks may prove to be a damp squib
Ibrox get- together unlikely to turn into all- out carnage this time
ARE we awaiting the Rangers AGM, or the WWE Royal Rumble? It gets hard to tell sometimes. Given Scottish football’s beloved tendency for chaos, the hype surrounding the Ibrox board sitting down to face some pretty angry punters is completely understandable. It has, after all, been a thoroughly miserable few months in Govan. That tidal wave of momentum that swept Rangers and their enchanted fan base all the way to last season’s Europa League final has long since crashed against the rocks, the manager who masterminded it is out on his ear, and more than a few of the players who made it a reality are finding themselves out of goodwill.
They have been feeling the heat in the directors’ box, too. Sporting director Ross Wilson has come out swinging ahead of the meeting, describing some of the stick he has taken over contract situations, specifically around Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos, as “nonsense”.
Then there is Dave King’s intention, as the club’s largest single shareholder, to vote against Douglas Park being reappointed as chairman. Club 1872 are also set to back King’s position and while it may not be enough to force a coup, that such a rift exists between two men who were instrumental in saving the club remains a cause for concern.
And with Michael Beale only just in the door following the departure of Giovanni van Bronckhorst, questions over what fans can expect from the January transfer window will be high on the agenda.
For those reasons, surely, we can expect some serious fireworks when it all comes to a head today. You would think so, but does it ever really pan out that way?
I will concede the infamous 2014 AGM, where a previous and wholly unpopular regime took to a windbattered gazebo erected on the Ibrox pitch and found themselves being heckled by angry punters in the stands.
But while things may feel mostly doom and gloom for Rangers fans at the moment, given how far they trail Celtic in the Premiership title race, it is still a far cry from the civil war that had engulfed the club back then. But perhaps it has created an expectation that when things are not going to plan on and off the pitch that such scenes are at risk of being repeated.
But the truth is these affairs usually end up leaving the onlookers who crave a bit of cinch wackiness a little disappointed. Even in the wake of the infamously short- lived Pedro Caixinha era in 2017, the Rangers
board got off lightly relative to the all- out carnage that was predicted.
The hotly- anticipated Q& A section with shareholders is where an otherwise carefully managed affair can threaten to come off the rails. But while the board members can find themselves up against a disgruntled punter or two with an awkward question, they will often have a fair idea of what is coming and the opportunity for follow- up enquiries is never too readily afforded, likely with a view to keeping potentially viral moments to a minimum.
Listen, nobody enjoys a touch of Scottish football madness more than I, it just feels like the “bonkers agm” thing very rarely materialises.
However, that is not to say there are no important questions for the Rangers board to answer. Quite how the club have gone from Europa League finalists to the Champions League’s worst ever team, nine points adrift of Celtic and facing real scrutiny around recruitment, all in just a few months is quite something.
The board may also be bracing themselves for questions around lawsuits the club are reportedly facing. Elite Sports Ltd, brand partner of Rangers’ former kit sponsor Hummel, are said to be suing for £ 9.5 million over breach of contract, while the club have raised a countersuit against the organisers of the Sydney
Super Cup. Legalities aside, the original decision to take part in the event alongside Celtic, only to later withdraw amid a considerable backlash, may just require some explaining from the powers that be, given how the whole thing appeared to be staged as a homecoming for Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou.
The presence of Beale, however, may just help to take matters in a more hopeful direction. The appointment of Steven Gerrard’s former assistant does not come without queries of its own but fans will be prepared to get behind a man who remains hugely popular after his first stint at the club. Following his press conference at the end of last week, the meeting will offer Beale the chance to further lay out his vision and speak directly with a fan base he appears keen to engage with.
By the time it all comes around again next year, those on the board will hope he has done enough to keep all talk of fireworks to an absolute minimum.
That’s not to say there are no important questions for the Rangers board to answer