While the Rangers support appear to be getting to grips with holding people to account for their actions towards Rangers Football club, it would appear that some in the media are not grasping that the wind is changing direction, and that the Rangers support have the determination and persistence to pursue every avenue for fair and just treatment, whether it be from the Rangers board, HMRC, Glasgow City Council or the mainstream media in Scotland.
I have been heartened by a seemingly reinvigorated support in recent weeks with Vanguard Bears stepping up a gear in the battle against the club's enemies, the anti-board activists changing tact regarding withholding of precious finances and good old fashioned protests and publicity. The actions of VB in recent weeks seem to have kicked others into gear as well, which can only be positive.
I've always held the view that the current board should be held to account, but that the wider support should not be subject to lies and propaganda from either side of the power struggle. The conversation seems to have become more sensible, and I can only hope that this stance can bring about that commitment from the board.
The truth is very important, as is integrity, and the Rangers support should always be treated with respect by anyone with access to information that concerns us all. Despite what some would have you believe, including some tabloid journalists, the Rangers support are very perceptive and can see through liars and chancers.
Perhaps we've learned later than we should have, but we've learned. Perhaps some fans have become too mistrusting but that's understandable.
So, while the Rangers support consolidates and focuses on fights ahead, the mainstream media should not become complacent that the support are distracted with issues within the club to ignore their conduct.
Of course, we know that the BBC's coverage of the club has consistently been far from impartial, with years of evidence of this collated by VB regularly resurfacing on Rangers blogs, but the newspapers generally have been getting an easy ride, and due to commercial considerations, they have largely become more careful in recent years to avoid being seen as Pro or Anti either side of the Old Firm.
Every now and again though, a negative story will be printed, away from the front or back pages, in the hope that no one will notice.
The latest example of this has been at The Daily Record, who ran with a piece about QC Gary Allan yesterday reporting his bankruptcy. Allan was part of an SFA Disciplinary panel that punished Rangers while the club's parent company was in administration, and the Daily Record reported "A Lawyer who received death threats after sitting on a panel which punished Rangers has gone bust" and "Police later found evidence of threats made against Allan by groups with links to Rangers".
Note, that to date there has never been any evidence in the public domain of any threats to Mr Allan, nor anyone charged with any crime of any sort with regards to any "threats" towards Mr Allan.
One VB tweeted Record Editor Murray Foote on Tuesday to ask if he can back up that story with evidence. At the time of writing he hasn't responded.
The wording in the report is also rather interesting. What constitutes "links to Rangers"? I would suggest that if the Rangers board had any self-respect, their legal team would be asking that question quite forcefully.
From a supporter's point of view we would simply make it clear, that despite The Daily Record appearing to show concern for the club in its dealings with various anti-board elements over the last 2 years, this "concern" has coincided with 2 years of unrest and instability. Of course I wouldn't suggest that this is the intention of Paul Murray, or Sons of Struth, who I believe are 100% genuine, but I make no bones about it that the newspaper itself has zero concern for Rangers and wishes to:
- sell newspapers, and
- disrupt rebuilding at the club
They are a commercial concern, so the game of changing the newspaper's coverage of the club is a different one. You can stop buying the newspaper if you still do, but unless you tell the editor the reasons behind your decision, it is unlikely to make much of an impact to editorial policy.
While former Editor and Celtic supporter Allan Rennie has been promoted after a 10% decline in circulation, his replacement Murray Foote is also no friend of Rangers, being a Dundee United fan and promoter of the "SelloutSaturday" movement that told us how well the SPL would fare in Rangers absence. Since then Hearts have gone in to Administration and subsequently been relegated, the SPFL still has no sponsor and Hibs have also dropped out of the top flight.
That's going well isn't it?
The other options Rangers fans have is to contact and politely remind them that they should not be supporting a newspaper that cannot report fairly, or pressure the club in to taking action to ensure fair coverage.
I'd suggest Rangers fans should do both.
Today's advertisers include:
- Jet2
- Virgin Media
- The Holiday & Flight Centre
- BT
- The UPVC Company
- Plusnet
- BP
- Smyths Toystore
- Vodaphone
- Morrisons
- The Advanced Group Windows
- Arnold Clark
- Blackpool Promotions
- Perfect Glazing
You know what you need to do.