Rangers supporters are now strongly voicing their objections and outright protestations in the direction of Ibrox board members.
With the loss to Celtic the last straw, the fully-fledged blame game from a lot of fans is aimed heavily at the board, with influential media fan sites also apportioning responsibility with the suits.
Before we continue, we do not have any board connections on Ibrox Noise, at least none that would influence any kind of bias one way or the other.
We are not John Bennett’s lackey nor do we do his bidding. We stand up only for what we believe in, and what evidence presents itself.
And while we are absolutely not endorsing this board, we have to reiterate that ‘the’ board has had about 150 (exaggeration) incarnations since 2012.
The current one fundamentally is John Bennett – he’s the only one with any power, the only executive.
The rest are Graeme Park, John Halsted, George Taylor, Julian Wolhardt and Alastair Johnston. All non-executive.
But let’s look at the past – Ross Wilson, Sporting Director, Mark Allen, Sporting Director, James Bisgrove, Commercial Director then CEO, Stewart Robertson Managing Director.
Dave King, Chairman, Douglas Park, Chairman, John Bennett, Chairman and now acting CEO.
These are fundamentally ‘different’ boards, it’s a rolling canvas of suits in and out. A couple of years ago it was Wilson and Robertson with the negative street sign memes. Now it’s Bennett.
So who do we blame on the board?
It surely can’t be Alastair Johnston, the darling of so many Rangers fans who swear by his every word. But he’s as on this ‘rotten’ board as he was on the one that failed Rangers originally before administration. Seems to get away with a lot, that one.
Bennett? He’s ploughed cash in (£20M) and he’s running the show on his own right now, after Bisgrove’s untimely exit. He’s a Ranger, he’s one of us, but he is a bit out of his depth trying to do all the jobs. We don’t take him for a charlatan though.
Graeme Park is the one everyone loves to hate – few have a good word to say about the man, citing that he has influence where he shouldn’t. We can’t comment but we know he is not popular.
But the borderline point is if you’re blaming the board, which one exactly? Bennett? King? Park?
Are they all rotten?
Well the answer, as always, lies in the middle and indeed elsewhere.
If the team on the pitch does its job, the board isn’t in the line of fire. Simple as that.
It isn’t doing its job, and neither is Philippe Clement.
This is not Ibrox Noise relinquishing the board of blame, we’re only highlighting that when the results are good, no one cares about the suits.
Then the question of money surfaces, that Clement didn’t get enough money or backing.
Well, Michael Beale got £20M+ and still the anti-board logos were up, back then for Stewart Robertson and Ross Wilson, who left that summer.
Fans just blame the board when the results aren’t good enough.
Remember the board when Rangers won 55?
Douglas Park and John Bennett! Not a soul (apart from Ibrox Noise) complained back then about anything, all was good.
But as it fell away (because in part of what we complained about) the knives came out for Park (rightly in some senses, he lost his direction with the club and used us for his business interests. He still is).
Today? As we say, we’re not quite sure what board the fans mean. There’s a general ‘sack the board’ ethos but no specifying who has been guilty of what, aside a general ‘where’s the money’ rant.
But the lack of money didn’t make Clement hold a suicidal high line v Celtic? It didn’t make him rant at fans afterwards about stats.
It also didn’t make the players lack belief or effort.
The fact is it’s easy to say the board is at fault – they (whoever ‘they’ is these days) hold their share, yes. But the management is atrocious and a lot of fans do also see that now. And we don’t defend the players, too many of whom aren’t at it at all.
If we go back to the hated David Murray regime which had collapsed in late 2006 under the hapless Paul Le Guen, when Walter returned in January SDM was no longer a target. Simply because results on the pitch were excellent again. No one cared about him owning the club, they were happy about the superb results under the Great Walter. PS he had no money.
And that tends to be the way. If football management has a clue, no one bothers about executive management.
This one doesn’t. This manager is an idiot, who is barking now, frogs, caravans, stats and other nonsense.
The players don’t believe in him, and aren’t playing for him.
We need a change at that level, but the stupid decision from an out of his depth Bennett to give Clement an extension was dire and will be costly.
We say this a lot, but what a mess.