Home > Football > Murray's Ibrox facelift must mirror the ambitions and hopes of Rangers fans
by Andy Hawking on 28 June 2008
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I read an article online a couple of days ago regarding supporters' expectations of the plan to redevelop and upgrade Ibrox and the surrounding area. Since this is our home, it is surely not asking much, as Rangers supporters, that our ambitions are met by any plans put in place?
Cast your mind back to the '90s for a moment. When modern Ibrox was finished with the completion of the Club Deck, the Govan East and West Corners and the giant screens, it was the finest ground in the country, bar none. It fused tradition and history with state of the art and showed the rest of the country that only the best was good enough for Rangers.
Although I’m not a fan of many of the new stadiums being thrown together across Europe, the modern facilities on offer do put the three newer Ibrox stands to shame. What’s more, our stadium is long overdue a spring clean and lick of paint.
In saying that, I firmly believe that the Bill Struth Main Stand is unique in football. If there is a stand anywhere that can match the imposing red brick front of Ibrox, then I have yet to see it. And the inside doesn’t disappoint. Chairman Jimmy Bowie said on completion of the main stand in 1929; “This is our magnificent new main stand. It holds 10,000 and we could fill it ten times over with young boys who want to play for the Rangers”.
That brings us to the other aspect of Ibrox that we cannot escape from and one that is now holding us back - the capacity limit of 50,000. With clubs all over the UK and abroad building grounds that exceed this, we are being eclipsed in terms of stature but also, more importantly, left behind in terms of finance. Indeed, Ibrox is the third biggest ground in Glasgow and the fourth biggest in Scotland. That isn’t something that sits well with me.
So what are my hopes for Sir David Murray’s plans for regeneration of Ibrox and the surrounding area? Simple - SHOW SOME AMBITION!
Comments (9)
by lee simpson on June 28, 2008
brilliant, we are the biggest, we should have the biggest, lets not forget since mccann built there new stadium they have been making 12m EVERY year more than us due to higher capacity, so in money terms they are bigger than us FOR NOW, but in terms of football, class, prestige Rangers are Scotlands Premier Club. The new stadium should be at least 70000, so when all the English teams AND them (coz they will) build their new ones, they cant build bigger than 70000. excellent article.
by Al Yeah on June 28, 2008
and lets not forget, we're the cleanest fans in Glasgow too.
by Francesco Sabatini on June 28, 2008
Agree 100%. Rangers, at the moment, may be playing in a relatively 'mickey-mouse' league that at times looks like it is run by characters from Disneyland, but we are a huge club with a massive following all over the world and an institution in British football. The 'Gers may presently be unable to consistently compete with the Man U's, Madrids and Milans but changes are inevitable in the near future and the club must be ready and prepared for that. All connected with Glasgow Rangers, past, present and future, deserve a stadium and facilities that conveys to all, the ambitions and pride of the organisation. As for a 70,000 limit, let's make it 80,000 and see if any of the others are willing to accept the challenge....as a former legendary manager of the club once stated...."We welcome the chase!"
by LOCUTUS WWW.RANGERSFC.INFO on June 28, 2008
Firstly, well done on a well written and well tught out article. Secondly ,While I agree on your hopes and aspirations for the club we all love I am a cynic by nature and I see the proposed " redevelopment " of Ibrox as a ploy to make the club a more attractve buy to prospective future owners. SDM has never hidden the fact that he wants to sell his majority shareholding and with the extra revenue that has come into the club recently added to the "option " to redevelop makes the club a more attractive business prospec. I honestly hope that I am wrong and that SDM has regained tha passion that made him the best chairman in football in his time.The fact thathe got so wound up over the whole SPL league fixtures thing and the enthusiasm over the Eufa cup run were good signs and with any luck and being the kind of person he is he will go ahead and build not only the best stadium in Scotland but the UK. As I say I honestly with my heart I hope so but my head says no.
by craig brown on June 28, 2008
FIRST THING IS FIRST, MOST IMPORTANT, WE HAVE TO BUILD A STADIUM THAT OUR RIVALS CANT.I CANT WAIT TO SEE IT, I LIKE THE IDEA OF 80000 AND LET THE REST COME AFTER US, IT WASNT LONG AGO WE HAD THE BIGGEST STADIUM IN BRITAIN, LETS DO IT AGAIN, LETS MOVE WITH THE TIMES, IT SHOULDNT MATTER WHAT THE REST DO, LETS JUST BE THE BEST AGAIN, LETS JUST DO IT, I THINK THE WHOLE CLUB, EXCEPT THE FANS, HAS FORGOTTEN WHAT A GREAT CLUB WE ARE, MAYBE SEEN A BIT OF IT BACK EN ROUTE TO MANCHESTER, GREAT, IF WE WERE TO BUILD AN 80000 SEATER STADIA IT WOULD PUT THE EMIRATES, STANLEY PARK AND EVEN OLD TRAFFORD TO SHAME, ITS TIME WE GOT OUR CROWN BACK.AND LOCUTUS, DONT YOU WORRY ABOUT THE FINANCES, SIR DAVID MURRAY HAS DONE US VERY PROUD FOR OVER 20 YEARS, VERY FEW MISTAKES(FINANCING ADVOCAAT, HIRING LE GUEN, MCLEISH, AND LETTING MR MCCLELLAND TAKE OVER FOR A PERIOD), I WISH WE WERE NOT GOING TO GET ANOTHER CHAIRMAN, I WOULD LOVE SIR DAVID MURRAY TO BE OUR CHAIRMAN WHEN WE OPEN THE DOORS TO OUR NEW 80000 ALL-SEATER 5 STAR LUXURY STADIUM.
by kenny mac on June 29, 2008
the club deserve a better and BIGGER stadium, i agree with the points made, my question is Does the club have the same ambitions as the fans? It hasnt seemed that way for a long long time. Ps cant belive there has been 5 or 6 posts and not one from our enemy trying to spoil things, surely just a matter of time we are the people
on June 29, 2008 on June 29, 2008
by lee tilstone on June 30, 2008
Try telling us in Manchester you are the "cleanest" we can still smell the filth and urine.
by Stevo on June 30, 2008
Try telling us in Manchester you are the 'cleanest' we can still smell the filth and urine.
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