If some Ibrox fans haven’t realised it yet, they’d better start realising it now—the battle for the soul of their club is well underway.
What happens next will determine their long-term future.
There are some in that support who want to keep the club chained to its so-called traditions and its “culture.” Others want it to embrace a more cosmopolitan outlook and move forward into the future instead of clinging to the past.
I said I would comment on their club’s deranged statement the other day, and there are elements of it I want to get to in due course. This will not be the first article in which I talk about it this coming week.
But right now I want to look at the segment where it tells the fans that the values of the club are diverting from those of their sectarian base. As per usual, it’s been the job of the Celtic sites to explore what this means.
This is not, as some people think, the board speaking off its own back because it wants to see the club transformed. It’s the board speaking in its own defence, because if the culture of that club remains poisonous, toxic, and degenerate, then the chances of the takeover going through are dramatically decreased.
These people want to protect the sale of their shares. Until that sale goes through, there are doubts about whether it ever will. Some believe this is nothing more than a smoke and mirrors routine designed to convince people to renew season tickets. I don’t think it is—but I can’t completely rule that out. This may not happen at all.
But it’s clear already that If it does, every single one of the Ibrox fans is going to have to take a side and stand up for their corner. It suits Celtic fans just fine for that battle to take place—and for it to rage for as long as possible.
One thing is for sure; that club is about to undergo a fundamental upheaval whether this takeover happens or not. The Union Brats have made that impossible with their own conduct. They have no idea the danger they are in.
Nobody will want to take over that club if they believe the lunatic fringe is in the ascendant. The only people who would do so are those who have plans for that lunatic fringe—and not in a good way.
As this blog has pointed out time and again, if these people secure 51% of the vote, they can do whatever they want and nobody can stop them.
These are not people who are going to care overmuch about a fan group stamping its feet and loudly making demands. They could shut the Union Brats section down the very next day after the takeover—and there’s nothing anyone could do about it. If I were in their shoes, it’s exactly how I would handle things.
It seems obvious to me that they were at least in the thoughts of the current board, as the club issued its statement condemning the sectarian, racist, bigoted banner that went up during the European game, and which UEFA has now opened a disciplinary case over. The Americans prompted the statement from the club.
It doesn’t matter whether they urged it directly or the board did it to placate them—the Union Brats had better realise that things at that club have changed, and changed utterly, for them.
I know there are a lot of Ibrox fans who were head over heels in love with the Americans before they knew a single thing about them. Some of them are undoubtedly among the most bigoted elements of the Ibrox support.
But what have we been saying here from the start?
These are people from Catholic backgrounds, who hail from the most diverse and liberal city in the most diverse and liberal state in the USA. They are not just the epitome of “woke”—they are the antithesis of everything the lunatic fringe at Ibrox believes in and which some are pledged to protect and defend.
Something’s going to have to give. The board—if they fail to secure the takeover deal—now have someone to blame for it.
Should the deal go through, the first priorities of the 49ers group will be set out, and one of them will be to rid the club of this element. Why would they not want to? Why would they seek to pacify or tolerate these people when they don’t have to? Why would they want to toxify the brand they’re trying to build?
So, one way or another, the Union Brats are in an existential crisis here. They already know what the level of support for them is among the wider fanbase—not very much at all. It is also worth pointing out that the reaction to that banner on the Ibrox fan forums was overwhelming in its disgust.
It doesn’t matter whether the fans who expressed that disgust were doing so because it was babbling incoherence, they are scared for the takeover or because they genuinely found the sentiment abhorrent—the end result is the same.
What support exists for the Union Brats is now much lessened.
There is a percentage of the Ibrox support that is not stupid and which understood immediately the dangerous signal that banner sent out to potential investors. They know their club cannot afford to be seen to be in the hands of these people, enthralled to these people, or unwilling to deal with these people.
A day of reckoning is on its way. The club across the city will have to at least attempt to get the Union Brats under control. When that fails—as it certainly will—that’s when things get interesting for all of us.
It doesn’t matter which side the average Ibrox fan comes down on. They are going to have to pick a side—all of them.
The future of their club is going to be determined one way or another by how it handles the crazies, the bigots, and those who refuse to accept that the world has changed, and that their club is essentially a backward-facing joke.
If they remain that way, they’re finished. Nobody credible is going to go near them, and any investment made in them will be money pissed away.
The club made itself clear in its pointed statement. It said that if fans are not willing to align with modern values, then it is the wrong club for them. That is explicit. That is a final warning to some of them—that the days of being up to their knees in Fenian blood are just about over. Those fans will resist.
Everyone in the club who believes it is in the cultural ethos of that institution will resist. They are either going to have to face a very different Ibrox board with very different ideas, or they’re going to be made scapegoats for the takeover’s failure.
So times are changing over there, whether they like it or not.
“Those fans will resist.” They already are, I read yesterday of hun posting to fellow bigots to walk members to bring their flutes to the Hibs game for a ‘sashbash’ to make their views clear, we watch and laugh.
I enjoy most of your articles Hail, hail …
The hate and bigotry is the only thing that’s real at that club, when you take that away what’s left? A struggling 12 year old club with massive debts. The deludamol might be wearing off.
Acht well James. They could always piss off and support cove rangers or east kilbride
They can – But Just as long as they keep to fuck well clear of Clachnacuddin FC for sure !!!
The family who own The 49’rs and its investment company are probably one of the most philanthropic and progressive families in the US. They donate and foster support to many causes, especially in youth education and minority causes across so many groups in the Bay area of San Francisco. Although they are a Catholic family their Philanthropy covers all racial. religious and sexual groups.
The views of quite a large group of The Rangers fans at Ibrox on so many areas of life would be the opposite to their way of thinking, It will be interesting to see what transpires at Ibrox whether the takeover happens or not.
Talking about Ultra groups, I would hope that these groups at Celtic Park would eradicate the pyros and tone down their IRA chants especially at away games. Do what most of the people in Ireland are doing, remember the past but look to the future. Young guys running around Glasgow with balaclavas on, before going to the football is behaving like eejits.
Spot on MicMac. I hate all the IRA singing, and other chants like Roamin’ in the Gloamin’ with it’s additives which are totally non-inclusive. They make us look as backward as those neanderthals across the water. The best of it is, most of these fkwts couldn’t walk and chew chewing gum at the same time, let alone tell you the first thing about Irish History. Personally, I can’t stand the GB…one central group with a nucleus of brain-dead followers. Actually, quite a devious bunch of self-serving anoraks, whose only ‘kudos’ in life is being part of the GB
If they rid the Klub of the looney faction they’d be as well hosting matches at their training ground.
The Klan traditions are passed down from father to son with their inclusivity and hatred for modernisation or change that could upset the bigot balance.
Ironically the only thing that may help a change is the new breed of fan starved of any real success through the banter years after the KLUB bought their way to titles for a couple of decades.
Like yourself James I think there COULD be a Share buy up and it may get to a majority percentage, it could also be a bit of a bargaining stramash with some holding their shares ’til their inflated price is met, it could be protracted. Alternatively the investors may see the basket case that is the rangers and head home. The latter most likely imo.
What if this mystery consortium is actually working for someone else and the tenuous 49’ers link is actually a bit of a red herring. Leeds Utd co-ownership cannot happen. I wonder if this is all just a ruse by King to punt his shares at their inflated value. we all know he prolly sold his granny.
Anyhoo it guarantees sales of shirts, tat and SB’s for next season, if nothing else. Their new found optimism backed by the lazy press is most amusing.
Hope wee Baz stays also, good to have a wee bam leading the Klub.
Whatever transpires it will not be in the fan’s best interests in the long run. They don’t want to see their Klub run as a business, the investors want profit. It should not be hard to understand that and see the road ahead may not be so rosy.
Talk of a transfer pot of £25m a season is pie in the sky, maybe a tentho f that and whatever they can make on current player sales albeit I think there is a loan against that already. What a Kluster*….
I said from the start I didn’t believe the takeover was going to happen. Initially I thought it was made up, but now I accept it was genuine… though perhaps not as reported.
But I doubted it as it’s very difficult to see what any investors are hoping for. A financial return is unlikely and fan views/expectations are hugely unrealistic. I still expect talks to fall through after the season ticket sales window.
As to the cultural shift…. I don’t think them capable.
Great article and comments as per!
I think a lot of us have been scratching our heads at the very thought of “any” institution that may be prepared to try and takeover this car crash of a klub!!
As has been pointed out by yourself and many others, what is there for any charitable, philanthropic group to gain from an association with Sevco?
Other than to take it over, saddle it with more debt and asset strip ( if there are any,) whatever they may find, to recoup their “investment !”
These investors sound as if they’re the complete antithesis of what the Sevco support, in the main, stand for and believe in.
A support that is not open to all, nor accepting of multi cultures, or religions bar Protestantism!!!!!
Their supremacist nature, and belief that they are the “establishment klub,” will always be at odds, with those of an opposing outlook.
Still some interesting and amusing months ahead ! HH
CIVIL War at Liebrox – How fuckin ironic is that given that they are the most fuckin UNCIVIL supporters in the universe !!!
I don’t understand how a consortium with such high priority values could either not be aware of the opposite being the case at ibrox or be aware and yet still be interested. Could part of their long term plan involve eradicating the sheer hatred from their club. As some have said on here, that’s been the only reason many of their “fans” have kept attending their matches. Their root and branch review has been going on for months now, so would this poison that exists in the stands be part of that review? If so there’s a fair possibility the deal won’t go through.
As I have said many times before on here, when you have a large percentage of their fans who, rather than wear their club colours or red, white and blue, would rather wear orange regalia then they cannot be serious about sectarianism and racism. When they constantly produce club sportwear with orange the predominate colour, they are encouraging the nutters in their support to continue their bigotry. Their statements are no more than false lies.
If these potential buyers are of a catholic background, it makes ye wonder if theyre really aware of the extent of anti-catholic, sectarian bile, that’s once again prominent throughout the ibrox supporters songbook durin their games. Obviously their support, are thinkin UEFA are turnin a deaf ear tae it as well. Would be interestin, if both were made fully aware of this re-surgent and constant poison directed at the RC church. Hopefully they will be.
There’s not an investor in the land believes they can make money from that mob. I’m coming from another angle. It is prime land once the cesspit is knocked down ripe for investment. Land is at a premium new builds are going up everywhere. I live in hope and??
Americans are not going to put money into a loss making business.
They will want a return on any investment, PROFIT being the key word.
My view is that the Americans won’t buy the shares at the directors asking price, the volume of share issues released, has reduced the price to extremely low or worthless, especially when you take into account the unsustainable loss from Rangers ll.
So I think the Americans would wait to gain control should the club go into Admin, they then offer a pittance to take over.
The other way could be Liquidation, then they can pay even less.
Rangers ll taking out a loan secured against future player sales is foolish, there are no guarantees on the value of future sales, so there is little if anything for Rangers ll to gain in player sales, the money does not go to Rangers ll, all that goes to the loan shark bank they have desperately turned to.
The club could make a little money renaming ibrox, selling Auchenshugie Park etc, but it’s not a great income base.
More players will leave in the summer for nothing.
Some may bring in a small fee.
Those players also need to be replaced.
The Americans are not going to invest £100 million to do that, even if they did, Euefa are watching financial fair play, so that type of expenditure is not going to happen.
Should I be a Rangers ll fan, I would be concerned for the future of the club.
We could take some of the fans at Firhill, However not all would fit.