King critics cannot allow history to repeat itself
FOOL me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. If there is any support in the game that should be wary of the future and learn lessons from the past, it is the one which fills Ibrox and that cheers Rangers on from near and far every week. The reasons, of course, are clear and still painfully prevalent in the mind.
Fans should need no reminding of the events of the last decade – of the hurt and anguish, the anger and the uncertainty – as they came perilously close to losing the club that bonds them together.
Events of today and aspirations for tomorrow should never be used as an excuse to forget the trials and tribulations of yesterday but there is a sense amongst some supporters that the dark times will never return now they have reached the light at the end of the tunnel.
Without that loyal, dedicated fanbase, Rangers would never have started out on “The Journey” in 2012. Without Dave King, the club would never have completed it in May.
As many have moved to dismiss and disparage King and his comments online in recent days, they would do well to remember just what the former chairman has done for them and what he is seeking to do for them once again.
Time will tell whether his share deal (worth a potential £13 million) with Club 1872 achieves its goal and whether the Rangers support have the opportunity to hold a meaningful stake in their club.
The merits of paying King for his shares and the operation of Club 1872 itself are often debated. What can never be questioned, though, is the sense in and the requirement for fans having their voice heard at Ibrox.
There is simply no negative to that scenario and Rangers supporters should appreciate more than anyone just what a controlling stake could have done, and now would do, for the club. This is their chance, perhaps their only one, and it is in danger of being undermined from within.
If King wishes to recoup some of the funds he has invested in Rangers over the years then that is his prerogative. Indeed, it is no surprise
that he has an exit plan and his shares will be safe in the hands of supporters if his blueprint comes to fruition.
Every major shareholder must have their own variation in their head. Whether that be to sell up or to pass their stake on, it would be folly if the biggest players hadn’t considered their options for the future.
If fans could hold 25 per cent of the shareholding, those others moves would not be as defining for Rangers. If they don’t, there will always be the fear that a couple of wrong sales or misjudged deals could see history repeat itself at Ibrox.
The progress made on and off the park in recent years has seen approval ratings for directors and staff rocket amongst the rank and file, but nothing stays the same forever and those same fans cannot afford to miss the opportunity to protect Rangers for generations to come. If they do, they can’t say they haven’t been warned.
In a series of interviews this week, King addressed his deep concerns over the now non-existent relationship between Rangers and Club 1872. Since King stepped down as chairman in March last year, the bonds have perhaps been broken beyond repair and questions raised by the organisation regarding Rangers’ relationship with Sports Direct were not the only flashpoints.
King has spoken of the organisation – which holds a 4.71 per cent stake in RIFC plc – as being “marginalised” by the club and their “officers unfairly subjected to a coordinated attack” during a tumultuous period that saw an attempted board coup repelled by the current incumbents this year.
Crucially, King believes, it has left fans with no avenue to challenge Rangers as he criticised “the club’s unwarranted unilateral withdrawal from its relationship with Club 1872”.
Rather than take on board his messages, many would criticise the mediums by which King conveyed his thoughts. Quite simply, that missed the point spectacularly.
If fans are not going to listen to King, then whose words will they respect? He is the man who united a support, but comments towards him on social media and forums showed scant understanding or acknowledgement of his concerns.
In a public example of his misgivings about aspects of Rangers right now, King voted against the re-election of Graeme Park at the Annual General Meeting last week.
His 15.45 per cent stake was never going to be enough to deny Park – the son of chairman Douglas Park – his seat on the board but it was a sign of King’s unease at Ibrox affairs.
“I have a fiduciary duty to vote my shares in what I consider to be in the best interest of myself and my fellow shareholders,” King said regarding his decision to vote against Park’s reappointment to the board, a move that was revealed by Herald and Times Sport.
“I also believe that I have a continuing moral obligation to consider the interest of supporters at all times. I have voted in accordance with the knowledge that I have.”
King’s next steps will be telling. He is a man who plays the long game, who always has his moves planned like a chess player.
His worries ultimately may not be shared by supporters, but he has earned the right for them to be listened to. Fans need not pick a side here and criticism and questioning should never be shut down or viewed as a negative at Ibrox.
Whatever the personality clashes or the disagreements over how business is conducted, the betterment and security of Rangers must always be sacrosanct and the priority for those who are the custodians of the institution. History should never be allowed to repeat itself. If fans blithely dismiss King and squander their opportunity to preserve Rangers, then they will be the fools this time
around.