In recent years, Rangers’ hierarchy has been constantly fragmented, and supporters have had enough.
The Ibrox fan base is fed up with what they are witnessing on the field compared to rivals Celtic, as well as the fragmented manner in which senior officials have handled some matters.
Despite a very controlled Rangers AGM back in December that was supposed to be much more explosive than it ended up being, the gap between the board and the supporters seems to be widening every week.
Grant feels the Rangers ought to have pursued the Mike Ashley trade.
According to Peter Grant, Rangers ought to have made every effort to work out a deal with Mike Ashley to purchase a majority share in Ibrox.
Speaking on the Go Radio Football Show on February 13, the former Scotland and Celtic player admitted that his admission will be resented by Gers supporters, but he is convinced Ashley would have made sufficient investments to secure victory.
Contentious Ashley, a former owner of Newcastle United, owned shares in Rangers from 2014 until 2017. During that period, he upset fans by threatening to use the stadium as collateral for a £10 million debt. He later sold all of his shares to Julian Wolhardt and Club 1872.
A few years later, Gers had to pay Ashley £8.25 million to resolve a conflict with his business, Sports Direct, regarding the third-party selling of replica kits (Daily Record).
“The Rangers fans will not like this, but the biggest thing is that they didn’t like Mike Ashley because everything he touched turned out to be successful in some way,” Grant stated.
He would have given the club the money it needed to succeed. I’m not familiar with the history, but [from a Celtic standpoint] I was relieved he didn’t play a [big] role for Rangers.
“It was a huge blow for them [not to acquire him], and fans don’t realize how successful his business was.”
Rangers might not have the money to fire Philippe Clement.
The board has probably supported Philippe Clement mostly because of the financial ramifications of firing him, something supporters have been demanding for a while.
In a public declaration endorsing the Belgian, Patrick Stewart damaged his reputation in the eyes of many Govan supporters and media commentators who thought it was a “cop-out.”
Although the Rangers could afford to fire Clement, it would have a cascading impact. There is a problem with whether they could then go out and find a suitable replacement to enhance the team’s performance through remuneration.
Additionally, it seems that the board would prefer to set aside the amount for Clement’s payoff. At what long-term cost, though? There is nothing left to fight for, except from the Europa League, which Rangers have, admittedly, surpassed in recent years with their incredible run in 2022.
Although it is unlikely that Clement will benefit from that practice in the years to come, the only thing that can be salvaged from the domestic season is to assemble a team around some of the talented young players that are thriving from the youth structure at Ibrox.
