OUR YESTERDAY IS OUR TOMORROW


Once upon a time a wise man said...

“I have been lucky — lucky in those who were around me from the boardroom to the dressing-room. In time of stress, their unstinted support, unbroken devotion to our club and calmness in adversity eased the task of making Rangers FC the premier club in this country.

To be a Ranger is to sense the sacred trust of upholding all that such a name means in this shrine of football. They must be true in their conception of what the Ibrox tradition seeks from them. No true Ranger has ever failed in the tradition set him."

Our very success, gained you will agree by skill, will draw more people than ever to see it. And that will benefit many more clubs than Rangers. Let the others come after us. We welcome the chase. It is healthy for us. We will never hide from it. Never fear, inevitably we shall have our years of failure, and when they arrive, we must reveal tolerance and sanity. No matter the days of anxiety that come our way, we shall emerge stronger because of the trials to be overcome. That has been the philosophy of the Rangers since the days of the gallant pioneers. “

Perhaps our familiarity with the greatness of these words, and their constant repetition amongst the Rangers support, causes us to fail to truly ruminate and meditate on the significance and entailment of our forefather's foresight. They are worthy of revisiting and exploration...in fact if they are to claim the greatness which we attribute to them, then they MUST give us both meaning, explanation and encouragement given our current predicament.

The first paragraph speaks of unstinted support and unbroken devotion from the boardroom to the dressing room. It is a sad reflection of the times...and the chairmanship of Sir David Murray.... that the unstinted support at boardroom level which Mr Struth alludes to..has been sadly missing in recent years. Loyalty should not be to a charismatic and ebullient owner, but solely to Rangers football club. The saying that “no man is bigger than the club” is as applicable at boardroom level as it is in the dressing room.

End of.

The second paragraph could have writers waxing lyrical for page upon page. But I will cut to the chase, because after all...we welcome it.

It bestows upon us an allegiance to a sacred trust...a kind of covenant. An adherence to a set of standards which requires an almost mystical, even ethereal understanding of our traditions, they are not written down.... but by virtue of something, way beyond this writer's understanding, they appear to be imbued in those who are called. Perhaps Mr Struth's words are epitomised in this following popular saying....

Bluenoses are born, not manufactured.
We do not choose, we are chosen.
Those who understand, need no explanation.
Those who don't understand, don't matter.

Mr Struth attested that no true Ranger had ever failed in the tradition set before him. I would respectfully suggest to you that our current predicament has come upon us because the men representing us, charged with guarding our traditions and heritage, have not been “true Rangers”. Perhaps there is a lesson here for Duff & Phelps...its not the content of your wallet which is important...but your love and understanding of the Rangers.

In essence...have you been called.

Mr Struth's third paragraph requires no vindication. The whole of Scottish football has benefited from Rangers success. In a country where our defeat of the “auld enemy” serves as an almost “opiate for the masses”..... a Wee Blue Devil and a Slim Jim were at the forefront of some of those memorable victories. Not particularly surprising for a club whose players have accrued more international caps then any other in history.

That of course takes no cognisance of the financial benefit to every Scottish club, who host the Rangers, and their travelling support, a support who have never fallen short of the traditions set for them.

“We will never hide from it. Never fear, inevitably we shall have our years of failure, and when they arrive, we must reveal tolerance and sanity. No matter the days of anxiety that come our way, we shall emerge stronger because of the trials to be overcome. That has been the philosophy of the Rangers since the days of the gallant pioneers. “

But we do fear.

Because we have deviated so far from Mr Struth's vision that we do not know what tomorrow will bring for our club.
His vision spoke of a unity from the boardroom to the dressing room. But it was more than just a unity of purpose. It was something far deeper. It spoke of men steeped in the Rangers tradition running the club from top to bottom. Men who did not choose but were chosen. Men who never failed in the tradition set them.

Mr Struth's words are not a reflection of yesteryear....they are a guarantee of our tomorrow.

The concepts of which he spoke are not our history...they are our future.

It wont happen tomorrow, or the next day, but it will come to fulfilment.

One day Rangers men, steeped in the tradition of their calling, will stand at the helm of our club.

And how will that happen ?

Because those who have and guarded and cherished the precepts from yesteryear, will ensure they become our tomorrow.

That is the power and potential of the Rangers support.

Awake and realise your potential, fulfill the traditions expected of you.