Two years since the Return of the King – where are Rangers now?

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Two years since the Return of the King – where are Rangers now?

Few could deny the sheer turmoil Rangers were under the office of Derek Llambias, David Somers and co. While this site initially gave that regime more than a fair deal of slack, it became clear well before 2015 that their influence at best would not take Rangers forward, and indeed was becoming a hindrance. Once Dave King gained his place on the board in March of 2015, fans were filled with optimism and hope, with the belief the Club was ours again and was in the right hands going forward.

The events of this season have not done a lot to reassure supporters that their initial judgements were correct, and actions at managerial and board level have done a great deal to concern fans who do not feel quite as safe as we perhaps did two years ago to this very day as King, Murray and Gilligan seized control of the Marble Staircase.

This is not to say that fans are genuinely worried about King; two years on and Rangers are nothing like in the state we were going back to the traumas of 2012-2015. But there are undeniable murmurs of discontent about exactly what direction the club is going in, where the funding is coming from, who the next manager will be, and the levels of communication from the board.

Ah yes, the old ‘transparency’ argument. Rangers fans have gone through more than most, suffering some real horrors in recent years, and the complaints of a lack of transparency go back to the days of Martin Bain and SDM, with regular opposition being voiced about the conspicuous absence of worthwhile statements from those in power, and a worrying lack of defending supporters against various accusations levied at them.

Fans were right to be worried, because the events of 2011/2012 showed the lack of dialogue from the hierarchy is often a forebearer of bad news.

Rangers fans need to be reassured, and on a frequent basis; and there is a genuine feeling among them right now that they are not being. The best Managing Director Stewart Robertson can muster is ‘a plan is in place’ and ‘there is financial backing’. He does not elaborate on where it is from, or whether it is investment or loan.

For his part King’s ex-pat residence in South Africa does make his regime at Ibrox a tricky one – the chairman does not speak often enough, and arguably is a little out of touch a tad being based so far away. Indeed, ex-manager Mark Warburton admitted he and the boss never spoke much at all.

And the manager and Director of Football search is becoming a touch farcical as well – Rangers fans have been subjected to about 20 serious names being the new manager, and are being placed through an emotional rollercoaster in the hunt for the next boss, while the frankly unnecessary Director of Football (it is not a model Rangers need) pursuit has seen at least one plain rejection while fans wait to see who this fabled new appointment will be.

On the pitch Graeme Murty is just about keeping a lid on the side, with a half decent couple of wins in a row giving him and the players some badly-needed breathing space, but off the pitch, if not chaotic, it certainly appears a little roughshod.

Two years have been completely wasted in terms of progress. Yes, we gained promotion but at the cost of time and the proper structures being put in place. Instead we got an ill-fitting system trying to plunge square pegs in round holes for near-enough 24 months.

Now we find ourselves back at square one.

Add to that the (likely) nonsense about shareholder Mike Ashley trying to buy the board out for £30M and it really is not a particularly smooth period.

The board really is not impressing anyone right now, that is the honest truth. While the lights remain on, Rangers fans need a little more comfort than consolation they still have a club. It is time for some proper investment, dialogue, planning, and coherent direction rather than the vague rhetoric we have received instead.

We need the Rangers we know and believe in back, and it is high time the men in suits delivered what they promised 36+ months ago.

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1 COMMENT

  1. I'm for giving Dave King a bit longer before I condemn him outright. I believe the legal entanglements that were signed up to by Ashley et al were far more deep-rooted than first expected and it is a result off this that King and Co have to set aside capitol in case there is a protracted legal fight and they loose.
    The previous Board were shameful in there due diligence of protecting the Club's interests and King, I believe is doing his best to fight off the menace Ashley provides to the Club going forward at a pace we all expected and needed.
    Give him more time and we'll see what transpires. Lets hope we give Ashley and the rest a bloody nose in Court and free ourselves of his cancerous influence on our great Club.

  2. First of all it is utter nonsense to say we are better of now under King than we were prior to his takeover.

    The reality is the exact opposite. People are confusing the terrible performance of the team in championship under mccoist with the overall health of the club.

    The reality is that mccoist was given far too much money and spent it very badly.

    Off the field we required short term loans, which is the exact same situation we are in now. Difference is that the previous Ashley backed regime had money to spend when we got back to spl, king simply has empty promises.

    I'm not a fan of Ashley. In fact I could write a lengthy article over what a scumbag I think he is. However the reality is that king is no better to the club than Ashley is.

    King has made our situation far worse both on and off the park. We are further behind Celtic ,both on and off park, than we have ever been.

    It was king who publicly declared war on Ashley, not the other way around, before he had even spoken to him. Perhaps if king had had the smarts to speak to Ashley first then things could be rather different.

    King has made a number of promises of investment. None of these have been honoured, despite the ridiculous claims from him and his band of followers. What has he spent the money on exactly? I forgot this was all behind scenes stuff none of us can actually see.

    What king has done is run the club at a loss as a deliberate strategy. This prevents outside investment and ensures the club's dependence upon him to continue. He has made the situation where we can no more get rid of him than Ashley.

    His 'investments' are soft loans which enables him to convert to shares. Sounds good on surface but in reality us a way for him to buy up shares at a below market value.

    Then there is the mess of the management situation. We publicly went after Wilson and now look foolish- his recommendation for manager is still being pushed through even though he rejected role. This would be fine if this manager had any experience or track record, but he has neither.

    So we are left to go back to second or third choice director of football who will have to work with someone else's pick of manager.

    At least under Ashley we brought McCall in to try and salvage the season and buy time. Under king we have left murty to take the flak whilst our board make a complete hash of their last chance.

    I get that some will disagree, however many of the pro king comments are from people who don't seem to understand business or grasp the absolute mess we are in- they tend to use the word negative a lot.

    • Seems the views are split about King. If we had a successful team competing well in all competitions we would not give a hoot who was Chairman. The fact is we were sold a lemon with Warburton's transfer policy and playing tactics. We are in a bad place with no obvious way out. Any manage worth his salt would give us a wide berth until we are more stable financially. However, we've got t find someone who's going to make the most of whats available. PS. Walter should remember he mentored McCoist and look where that got us!

    • 5 March 2015 – Dave King

      “All I have done is, in advance of the change of board, ensured there is another Nomad willing to come in. The club has to appoint them so that process can only happen after the general meeting.

      “I’ve got one [lined up] who has done due diligence on the individuals but the key component for any Nomad is the club itself.

      “Nomads are concerned about the financial affairs of the club. It’s the one area where I’ve been able to give no more input than what I’ve read in the newspapers.

      “If we succeed tomorrow, and I think we will, then we will get it immediately. It’s a process that would be done in a day or so.”

      GSTQ

  3. We are in a much better place than we were even a year ago today. The appointment two years ago of Mark was a bit of a gamble but his first job was to get promotion. After our semi win and league title it would have been a brave chairman to have decided not to give Mark an improved contract. With the benefit of hindsight and some knowledge it is clear that King gave him a new contract through gritted teeth. It is also clear that Mark was talking to other people. King saw an opportunity and took it. Much as Marks tippy tippy football was successful in the lower division anyone who attended first game of season knew we were not going to make it. King and the board have to get all the leagals out of the way. Until that happens they can only loan the club money. If the legals were clear then I am certain that there would be a new share issue and much further investment. Also the board cannot put together a proper business plan until these matters are resolved. Also with the courts still deciding re Ashley our hands are tied. Last week the press made much of Rangers paying Greens fees . However if Rangers had been successful in their demands the court would have granted a further delay. Delay is not in our interest. Lawyers know how to make money with no regard to justice. Getting all this sorted is a priority but Rangers cannot be transparent about matters that have to come to court. Very frustrating but I am sure we all glad Mark has gone. As for new signings as management or players , it is very difficult. Green , Ashley and their ilk are as bad as Whyte.

  4. Anyone that thinks Ashley is about to give us lots of money is deluded. He doesn't give Newcastle money and in fact seems to take it. Rangers will not be a profitable club until we can make money, which at the moment we can't. It's all ok for people to say king has done nothin, but with out him the club would have ran out of money 18months ago…

    • He might not GIVE you money But.. he will run the business properly so it can run on its on feet, then its up to how much money fans spend on season ticks, scarves etc.. The days of sugar daddies is over.. I hate Ashley but sadly he is what you need at moment to make hard decisions to get your club back on track, might be tuff in short term but the scary days will be behind you

  5. Suspected he was a chancer all along and he's done nothing thus far that changes my opinion. I hope he proves me wrong but I sincerely doubt it.

  6. Not moved that far but not bust and that is good,my fear is that we will go through may be four or five managers before we get a good one but hey we need to do it right.

  7. Am with u papillon I think at the moment it very hard for king to manoeuvre n b more transparent with all these legal cases going on behind the scenes lawyers waiting to pounce on anything said by king because Ashley has him gagged at the moment but time will tell in the not to distant future n that's y they need to watch what money's put in cos they don't want anyone coming after it plus I think instead of Jst sticking £30mil in bank as a gift n being in credit for talking sake they're being shroud giving loans n running club at a loss so people like Ashley can't dispute them gaining more shares because it looks to everyone they're keeping the club afloat therefore to make sure the club stays in safe hands ,as Ashley had the club by the nuts before now king, 3 bears, Murray n Gilligan have a grip on the club n assets which again means people like Ashley can't manoeuvre cos they will have things sewing up in contracts to ther debt owed to them again keeping Ashley at arms length n other chancers. Defo trust the whole board as proper GERS men.

  8. Well I think the board are doing a very good job! I think they have the club at heart. The poison that is Ashley and co has caused so much damage to our club. And the board have been fighting them from the start. Ashley still has his dirty claws in us. How could any fan justify 5p in the pound from Rangers shirts? I was really impressed how King managed to seize power from Ashley! I was also impressed at how quickly they got rid of Warburton when the opportunity arose, seeing it was now not going to happen for Warburton.

    I know it's still very difficult for us fans, and this manager appointment is dragging on. But I think we're defo moving in the right direction, and will be a much better team soon. Yes Celtic are in a much stronger position at the moment. But don't forget, they all actually tried to kill us, for real, forever. They couldn't. We're back swinging. Won't be long before we start giving a few bloody noses. I will never forget where we've been the last few years. Alive and keep kicking, and stronger than ever..

  9. Show us your money Mr King, give us a clue about the future , how anyone thinks King is better than recent predecessors is beyond my comprehension. He is fleecing us with false promises, we are becoming a joke not because of our football but because of our inability to develop our business. If there were no proèblems we would not hear or bother about rumours because the business plan would be crystal clear to everyone attached to the club including the supporters and in particular season ticket holders, vote with no renewal until the King debacle is sorted, which in short is Exit King. J

  10. For those still undecided as to what has been promised and never delivered….here is a nice trip down memory lane, lest we all forget the big bold promises thus far still undelivered….
    24th March 2014
    "My view of what it will take to make Rangers competitive again is bottom end £30m but probably £50m — over the next four years,’ King told Sportsmail.
    ‘From the discussions I have to date I think there are other people who would come with me.
    ‘But I would say I would probably have to put in £30m of the £50m over the period of time. And I could probably get other people to put in £20m.
    ‘Would I be willing to invest £30m despite what happened previously? Of course. Sure.’….make your own mind up about that guff

    dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2588429/Dave-King-commit-30m-ensure-Rangers-return-Scottish-Premiership.html

    Dave King has promised Rangers fans a regime of 'transparency and accountability' if his team win control of the Ibrox boardroom on Friday

    skysports.com/football/news/11788/9745297/dave-king-promises-to-be-completely-open-with-rangers-fans-once-he-assumes-control

    And just to show it isn't just honest fans like me that think we are being lied to: 1 Dec 2016 /
    heraldscotland.com/sport/14941741.Graeme_Souness__Dave_King_should_never_have_made_promises_to_the_Rangers_fans_he_couldn_t_keep/

    You don't have to be a super sleuth to find article after article of lies, spin and broken promises. The truth is we are no better off than we were 2 years ago, we are deeper in debt, thanks to the soft loans provided to keep the lights on…we have no fiscal policy or strategy to get us out of this mess we are well and truly in.

    GSTQ

    • dave king is keeping this ship afloat .wasnt his fault murry white green, mcoist smith ashley sold anything they could get there hands on .blame them there pockets are full .give mr king a bit of credit are you blind.

    • Well said Gordo, unfortunately king supporters like trump supporters. They never let the truth get in way, or change their minds.

  11. My take on things is we are no better off …2years ago Pre EGM we were promised riches beyond belief, and I don't mean simply investment but I mean MASSIVE investment of the like we haven't seen since BoS subsidised SDM's spending which brought us titles and cup's a plenty. The numbers being digested were huge…. up to and including £50m, which made everyone's eyes water and mouth's salivate at the prospect.
    Lets face it we had mega rich business men in their droves willing to punt in 10's of millions….I mean come on, who wouldn't be impressed and in awe!!!!!!!!!
    But, reality is how it actually works in real life, not lies, false claims and bluster. This is what has driven things, and people really need to have a look at what is coming out of Ibrox and actually question things……THERE IS NO INVESTMENT…..so far, only SOFT LOANS to keep us going another month….now that is the reality of things and that's not me being negative, that is fact.. Our so called mega -rich prospective investors do not have a combined wealth of what it takes to run an institution like Rangers and that's a fact, unless we are downsizing in every way to a business model akin to Former Championship winners Hearts, so if that is what they have in mind for our great club then yes they are doing a wonderful job. So as for investment of up to £50m by a plethora of mega-rich investors ….anyone care to name them and show me the money!!!

    GSTQ

  12. i think everybody has valid points but the truth of the matter is to compete with celtic financially at least isn't going to happen by a large investment. It will only happen through great buiness accumen and prudence. oce succesful the rest will follow. we can argue all day long about all the shit in the past, it changes nothing.Celtic have exploited our downfall to the max, When MR. sporting itegrity suggested they had a stand alone policy i think we now know what he meant by it. Celtic first , sweep all before them knowing the cash riches involved over a 3/4 year period.In my opinion he lost all integrity by not wishing to protect and continue a rivalry of over 100 year for the benefit of our country's reputation domestically.I honestly think the Rangers board would have come out in favour of celtic remainig in the league for the reason already mentioned.What has wound me up the most throughout all this is the fact we continued to support the haters with the BLUE POUND it will always wrankle with me.As i say ther's more to it than just the RATS involved .We are despised becase of our traditins ,faith and culture.We need to wake up fast as the football and polictal landscape is fast becoming nationally weighted against us.The many thrive at our strggles while PRETENDING it is god for competition.What they really mean is a strong RANGERS but not a sucessful one.P.S.feel better for that.time to stand up and be counted!

  13. Zero chance that Ashley will 'but the Board out for £30 million'. Too much uncertaintly about ownership of the assets, contingent liabilities (tax case) etc. Not going to happen.