Rangers Football Club, has not been governed by rational economics nor at times pragmatism, but by a deeply embedded form of cultural identity, support and pursuit of success. This reverence for the Club’s past - its players, iconic managers, and Ibrox, has shaped its cultural and expectations of success. The club’s identity has been a demonstration of footballing excellence which still endures despite recent failures and is a continuation of that still in spite of damaging appointments and weak, impotent individuals.
Rangers FC now find themselves in the midst of a series of convulsions. Each imposed upon us by a series of mediocre entities who all seem to have their own personal agenda that loosely translates to successful collaboration at the superficial level only to be presented as venal narcissism and self gain.
The first convulsion is the shambolic appointments and attraction to executives and data analysts, wielding influence over transfers, tactics, and commercial strategy. The appointment of a series of failures in management reflects this shift: a decision made without any reference to the Club’s ethos and culture. We have employed managers all too readily by metrics and fashion.
The second convulsion is the fragmentation of the club’s internal unity. Just as the self imposed dissolution of the culture has been eroding the confidence of supporters clubs and structures, Rangers FC has seen its dressing room cohesion splinter under the weight of poor results, questionable signings, and tactical confusion. A team which not so long ago that consisted of loyalty, unity and pursued a winning mindset now operates as independent agents - financial mercenaries in a repeatedly failed executive recruitment process and managerial model. The erosion of this attitude is mirrored in the loss of clear leadership and hierarchy within the club.
The third convulsion is the abuse and threats arbitrarily announced to the support in the form of decree by a board that in current circumstances is not worthy of the position it holds, be that professional or moral. The rise of the plebs is to be applauded, from the UB banners, to the demonstrations (and it had to happen) to face to face confrontations with the people in charge who have delivered dire failure. We are a support that demands transparency, accountability, and performance not just rooted in tradition. By this I mean having barely a breath left in your lungs when the final whistle is blown if you are one of the few privileged enough to play for Rangers FC delivering successful results. I'll leave the nuances of tactics and finer points of the many decades of Rangers FC winning mentality and game plan to people who know more about the game than me. It's Ibrox, the history, the culture and the significance of Rangers FC that interests me most importantly. The discourse around Rangers has shifted in many directions since we were illegally taken over and banished to the lowest ebb of a footballing backwater - that is not a criticism, it's now fact. Obedience to legacy is no longer enough.
The modern football leagues that have sold their souls to generate football’s wealth with TV rights, sponsorships, and global 'fandom' have transformed the way tourists and opportunistic foreign 'supporters' see other people's football clubs. They are no longer passive worshippers from afar but have been given a mandate and act it out as very vocal active stakeholders. You know the ones - the wankers taking selfies when the opposition scores.
The palimpsest nature and history of most other clubs does not apply to Rangers FC. Some clubs have changed names, changed location, changed the stadium name, some have even denied the existence of their boys clubs, for good measure, some have even changed their history. The layers of superficial narcissism all too readily embraced by clubs and their incumbent board members to the detriment of club origins is cultural theft and community treason. I'll cite one perfect example, UEFA have reluctantly consented to one Italian and one Spanish top flight game to be played abroad this season. These are hollowed out husks of football clubs. The irony is, we are truly genuine and criticised for it. The frauds get to build wealth by sheer proximity. Which is why the Rangers FC as an institution must, be managed differently when we have a completely unique composition.
The new owners have admitted liability and culpability. They have less than two weeks to make right what is ultimately a joint failure of the current CEO and Director of Football. At Rangers FC, years of loyal support through financial hardship, relegation, and rebuilding have emboldened fans to demand a voice in the club’s direction. The longest run of games conceding goals in Rangers FC history is not just a statistical anomaly - it's a rupture and symptom of sequential board members approaching the challenges at Rangers FC as if it was just another football team.
In this context, Ibrox is not just a stadium, Rangers FC is not merely a football club - it is a cultural institution emerging from the tension between historical identity and failed modern governance parading as footballing progress. The challenge ahead is not just tactical or managerial - it is existential. I do not mention this lightly or by way of hyperbole. This is now the time and place for action - not the amputation of accountability.