They just go to hell (Division 3) and re-group.
But perhaps the burning question is....Do we know how to re-group ? Have we any idea what we need to change and how we go about effecting such change ?
Lets ask ourselves a different question Why was it, with the exception of one club who abstained, that the SPL clubs to their serious financial detriment, voted not to re-admit us to the SPL. ? The answer quite simply is we had lost the battle for the hearts and minds. In fact we had been overrun and routed before we had even mobilised.
But you wont find the battleground on a OS map of Scotland - this battle took place within the Scottish media. The problem for us that it was unusual terrain. More than a decade of “if an article offends don't buy it” mentality has left us less than streetwise with those in the inky trade as well as other media outlets.
It was against this background that you read (without challenge) and on an almost daily basis, how Rangers had cheated, how we had run dual contracts to pay for players we couldn't afford, how we showed absolutely no remorse for our actions, how we had deprived hospitals and schools, how we were threatening and bullying others to treat us as a special case,,, the list goes on and on. But as if this misrepresentation of the facts wasn't bad enough , the graphic nature of some of those articles left a lot to be desired. Who amongst us will ever forget Gordon Waddells' analogy of our club being like someone you would like to punch repeatedly in the face till your hands hurt ?
You get a feeling of how bad things really when James Traynor appears to be the only one fighting your corner.
You don't need to be a chemist to work out the damaging result of a less than sympathetic press mixed and added to an audience of readers or listeners who, and this is putting it mildly, are already “less than sympathetic” towards our club.
I fully realise that in addressing the issue of damaging press articles about our club to internet Bears, that I am very much preaching to the converted. And I'm fully aware that many of us do what we can to try and bring some balance to re-dress this. But events over the last few months demonstrate that it is not enough, no matter how hard we have laboured. Furthermore the image and reputation of Rangers Football Club should not be left to a few diligent supporters firing off letters of complaint which are by and large ignored by press editors.
In addition, leaving a group of individuals to fight something of a rearguard action against the might of the press is leaving them fully exposed. I remember how Spiers rounded and isolated those who spoke out against him and his series of damaging articles about our club....ridiculing and trying to discredit them by labelling them “paranoid beserkers”
This really has to be a joint undertaking by both the club and the support working together. There are many things about Sir David Murray's tenure at Ibrox which will be described as disgraceful. But one of the most unedifying things I have ever seen in all my years supporting Rangers was his willingness to ignore the demonisation of our support and the image of our club, yet take particular umbrage at any personal criticism of himself in the press.
I believe that this should be a priority matter for those who claim their voice represents the Rangers support. And there is no getting away from it - this will require the hiring of professionals who know what they are doing.
Some may read this and say that the Rangers haters out there had already made up there minds as to what should happen to our club irrespective of the press coverage. And you would get no argument from me.
But that should never deter us from at least getting the facts out into the public domain and be in a position where we can effectively challenge those who wish to compare our club to something you would repeatedly punch in the face until your hand hurt.
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