Home > Football > The painful truth about Rangers' decline from the heady days as Britain's greatest club
by Strathclyde Bear on 29 July 2008
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Having a nosey around Rangers forums and websites of late and wading through the negativity with regards to the coming season, it would appear that the subject of stadium expansion is still one of the hot topics. I have little doubt the club will go for “Option 3: A Lick of Paint”, but that shouldn’t detract from our expectations and ambitions for the Rangers.
A full decade has now passed since the redevelopment of Hampden and Celtic Park, making Ibrox the third largest stadium in Glasgow and only the fourth largest in Scotland. Talking revenue for a moment, 10,000 extra seats over 10 years adds up to tens of millions of pounds extra in the coffers, and in the current financial climate, outside of the Premier League anyway, that is a phenomenal amount of money.
When looking around the football forums, there is certainly a mixture of opinion and some good points raised by people across the board. However, one thing that is quite obvious, and also a very sad sight for Rangers fans, is the lack of ambition shown by some of our supporters.
Whether they genuinely believe 50,000 is our upper limit or whether their ambition has been downsized by Sir David Murray, to those that don't see the point in stadium expansion, I ask simply: If you think the capacity of Ibrox doesn't need increasing, are you accepting that Rangers are the second biggest club in Glasgow?
My own opinion is that we should follow the trend of the bygone years when Rangers were forward-thinking and far and away the premier club in Britain. Ibrox should be expanded to 75,000, with an extra tier on the Copland, Govan and Broomloan, with the big screens removed and seats in the corner areas. Naturally, the Main Stand must remain untouched. The main argument against stadium expansion, it must be said, is a poor one: "We can't fill Ibrox as it is."
Nonsense. It may not reach capacity for some cup games or SPL fixtures against smaller clubs but so what? Barcelona don't fill the Camp Nou for run-of-the-mill league fixtures but I would bet the big European nights and derby matches more than make up for this. Old Ibrox held upwards of 118,000 and it wasn't full for every game. Expanding Ibrox and making it a success would depend on two factors:
1. The club putting in place a sensible ticket-pricing structure that would ensure as many seats as possible are packed out for every game. Letting the next generation of supporters in for a token amount would ensure bigger crowds.
2. The club makes an active effort to encourage supporters to come (back) to Ibrox every other Saturday.
And therein lies the problem. Murray is quite noticeably tired of running and owning Rangers these days. He looks it and his few statements each year convey the same message. Martin Bain will never have the drive to take Rangers further so the club sits still, effectively stagnant. The worst part of this is that the lethargy rubs off on the support and that causes long-term damage to Rangers.
Of course, stadium expansion is only one part of the bigger picture here and the real point to address is that we are allowing our expectations for our club to be lowered almost by the season.
Taking 200,000 fans to Manchester, with tens of thousands at Ibrox to watch the UEFA Cup final, shows clearly that there is more hunger for success at this club, amongst the support anyway, than you’ll find elsewhere. Those in charge at Ibrox are clearly not too bothered at us being second in our own city and the only people that are going to drag Rangers out of this are the supporters.
It's easy to shrug your shoulders, particularly since Murray owns over 90 per cent of the club, but, quite simply, no one at Ibrox is going to change things. We have to force Murray's hand, put pressure on him to put more effort into finding a buyer and look to remove the likes of Bain and Sandy Jardine from positions of power within Ibrox.
I'll say again: No one else is going to do this for us. If Rangers supporters can't put aside differences to see the bigger picture and work together for the sake of our club, the days of dominance will remain a long way off. And if that doesn't get you thinking, another couple of years of mediocrity and we're perilously close to being on the wrong end of nine in a row.
To borrow a phrase from football's greatest ever manager: "Never fear, inevitably we shall have our years of failure, and when they arrive, we must reveal tolerance and sanity." If we can't stop hiding on messageboards, in-fighting over petty issues and bickering amongst ourselves when our rivals must be sitting back laughing, then we are marching head-on into serious long-term disappointment.
I'll leave you with another Rangers quote: "Our greatest days lie ahead, and nothing can stop this Old Club from achieving its goals when all look forward with the same ambition."
We’re in this together, folks. And our club needs us more than ever.
Comments (74)
by Paul Nelson on July 29, 2008
200,000 "fan's" in Manchester for the final - You having a laugh? I fear that is wishful thinking.
by s s on July 29, 2008
200,000 cretins and gargoyles.
on July 29, 2008 on July 29, 2008
panic on the streets of Govan, panic on the streets of Govan, i wonder to myself, "Will Ibrox ever be the same again? Will Wattie remain in the hotseat? I WONDER TO MYSELF. Ha ha, its terrible being a hun right now. Good, cause thats where you,re staying.
by romabhoy on July 29, 2008
"To borrow a phrase from football's greatest ever manager..." to borrow a phrase from Still Game: "what a load of pish" Jock Stein the true 'king of kings' RIP
by Big Joe Canoe on July 29, 2008
We're all aware..
We know that you know that he knew
panic on the streets of Govan, panic on the streets of Govan, i wonder to myself, 'Will Ibrox ever be the same again? Will Wattie remain in the hotseat? I WONDER TO MYSELF. Ha ha, its terrible being a hun right now. Good, cause thats where you,re staying.
by boab on July 29, 2008
How very typical - the first four comments are from fans from another club/clubs being abusive, an accusation of lying and unwilling to accept facts about Britains most successful club. They must spend their days scouring the Web looking for Rangers articles to comment on...
by bhoysr champs on July 29, 2008
to mediocrity. That's what Rangers are on, and have been on for some time. If it wasn't for Big Eck's life-saving tactics during MON's era, than this would be the season Celtic are going for 9-in-a-row. I think Murray realizes he can't get rid of the bigots which are always going to hold the club back, so why invest more in the team or the stadium? There are some decent Rangers fans who just want their team to do well. Unfortunately, they are vastly outnumbered by the bigots who want the team to do well for all the wrong reasons which are not connected to football rivalry. So, whilst that remains the case, I'm always happy to see Rangers suffering because the club doesn't deserve success. Manchester showed just why.
by Duff Vader on July 29, 2008
Tell all the huns you know, that were gonnea win 4 in a row. From the biggest team in Glasgow
by Large Jock Was aware on July 29, 2008
Isnt it strange how an article about Rangers is infested with messages by supporters of Ra Sellic, it once again goes to prove that they are more concerned about our club than they are their own. Just remember the famine is over and you can go home whenever you feel like it. Where abouts in Ireland is Glasgow? Large John
by PigChalk Canoe on July 29, 2008
Large John was very aware
by Ted E Bear on July 29, 2008
Amazing how quickly the mutants from the east end swamp onto an article that has sweet fa to do with them. The famine is over please do the whole of Scotland a favour and piss off home.
by Cesar in the know on July 29, 2008
he knew that long after he was gone, there would still be sick mindless thugs like you. go on and deny manchester ever happened, surely you are one of the many "good" RFC fans!
Bigotry and racism alive and kickin on the slopes of Ibrox Park - idiot
by Henrik Vegamura on July 29, 2008
Big Jock was aware all right of how to win a trophy you will never even get to smell. Your club is in terminal decline and has been for over a decade, manchester was a last hurrah as each and everyone of you cretins continue barking at the moon for an ideology of exclusion and intolerance that is at odds with modern society. Welcome to the 21st century you have woken up to late to the fact that you are all bigoted morons. Scotlands shame the world is laughing at you. HA HA HA HA HA
by Jack on July 29, 2008
Glad to hear all the talk of people being told to go home. Can we start with the British in Ireland please?
by Bigot Bear on July 29, 2008
1 NO TEAM IN SCOTLAND - EUROPEAN CHAMPS 1967 BIGOT FC - 2 X RIOT CHAMPS 1972, 2008
by colp m on July 29, 2008
I'm a Celtic supporter and am fully aware of the mire Rangers currently find themselves in. Your problem isn't the inability to generate revenue via current means, it's your board's inability or unwillingness to recognise the huge contingent of bigots within the walls of Ibrox. Before anyone starts, I'm aware that Celtic have a fair number of them too, but we exert a certain amount of self-policing, so that they remain a small minority. Unfortunately for your club, everytime a camera is pointed at fan in a blue shirt, they're seig-heiling, or chanting some bitter song. I'm of the opinion that most of Rangers fans are decent people and want nothing more than for their team to do well. Unfortunately, the poison that flows through a fair number of your support will always overshadow the decent people. Murray needs to start there before he tries to sell the club. Who wants to buy a fully-formed KKK club, with a travelling support of 100,000? Change the culture of the club, or burn it to the ground and start again.
by Cas Greg on July 29, 2008
I'm a Celtic fan replying because this posting came up on a Celtic site. To be honest I'm not a genius when it comes to quotes but I can't remember Big Jock (Scotlands greatest manager) saying 'Never fear, inevitably we shall have our years of failure, and when they arrive, we must reveal tolerance and sanity.' surely it must be some imposter who said those lines.
by billy nomates on July 29, 2008
When your club is founded on hatred and intolerance,you've tarnished the good name of football supporters in Scotland and you've nowhere else to go,start looking inwards and see what everyone else has seen for years. You're morally and financially bankrupt. The end is nigh
by Juve Bhoy on July 29, 2008
Unfortunately most of the replies cannot see an honest intelligent article without reacting in a manner to provoke. Some very good points raised, however I do note from the point raised above, it is important Rangers attract more fans of a correct nature, and not the knuckle draggers who tarnish your name. Self policing was first done by Scotland fans, Celtic fans have followed suit. Rangers fans need to take more responsibility for their own fans and get rid of the rot and focus on what is good for your club. Being secular and exclusive will never raise your profile. Sort out the bigotry, then by getting the "future generation of fans in for a token fee", they can support the club without being raised on the bile, which in turn would improve international standing and open your gates to more cultures and backgrounds. Murray and Bain need to go, Celtic have had to run on a shoestring transfer budget to sort out the finances, Rangers have to do the same, it will mean more years of being '2nd best' but short term failure can avoid long term disaster.
by Gough was As Bad on July 29, 2008
fully fledged scotsman through and through who came from a mixed family and chose to pick celtic over rangers due to the obvious supremicist values that exist at the very core of ibrox. born in glasgow where have i to go home to. theres a million like me have we all to leave so the country can be pure again. scotlands shame indeed. p.s this article is popping up on celtic news sites as relevant, expect a few comments especially if you start laughing at child abuse again. shame
by Ber Tent on July 29, 2008
Obviously the recession is hitting the sales of the Big Issue given there seem to be so many vendors on here. I think its ironic that supporters of a club that had to have its ground closed during war time use the word hun as abuse given their long standing love affair with all things right wing and of course the support of outlawed organisations. But I digress, at 200,000 I think perhaps the Suvill calculator has been used best stick to the official figures of over 150,000 thats sufficient enough to wind up the resident MOPES and the professionally offended. But one thing about MOPES is that they are liars from cradle to grave so its easy to see why truth is an alien concept, a bit like gainful employment and knowing your father.
by Billy McGinnis on July 29, 2008
Where is this change going to come from? Oh, let's find a buyer some say, how? The club might only show debts of £17m on the books but the ot