A group of disaffected Rangers supporters yesterday chose the traditional kick-off time of Saturday at 3pm to stage a peaceful demonstration against the running of the club.
Around 400 fans attended the event organised by the Sons of Struth group, which saw them march to Ibrox holding red cards aloft before delivering postcards to the club outlining the reasons why they have so far declined to purchase a season ticket.
Around 14,000 fans are believed to have signed up to watch the club's matches next season, a number massively down on figures in the region of 30,000 in each of the previous two years, yet one which may be big enough to allow the current board to limp on into next season.
Craig Houston, a spokesman for the Sons of Struth grouping - who are aligned with Dave King's plan for fans to withhold season ticket cash until certain assurances are given about the future of Ibrox and Murray Park - said he was encouraged by the turn-out and that the protest was merely the first in a summer of action against the board. Fans also unfurled banners talking about "reclaiming our club" with chants of "Sack the Board" ringing out as the protest ended.
"I am delighted," said Houston, from Linwood, who has been a season ticket holder for 32 years. "I was estimating that there would maybe only be 100-200 so the numbers that have turned up for our first event of many this summer are very encouraging. I know there are a lot of other things on in the city and around the central belt today so I am quite sure that in time we will get even more.
"Sons of Struth and Union of Fans had a scenario where we said we should hold back season ticket monies purely until we have Murray Park and Ibrox secured. However other fans have different reasons why they didn't buy season tickets or didn't renew season tickets. So the postcard gave a few different options, just to give people an opportunity to tell the board exactly why they didn't.
"Some did it because they wanted rid of the board or faceless investors, so we gave these people a voice. To let the board, and more importantly the faceless investors, know why fans are holding back their blue pound.
"We are just fans, there is only so much we can do. We can bawl and shout or we can turn up in numbers, or we can do nothing. But doing nothing is not an option during the summer. We don't have any games but we are Rangers fans every day, not just on match days. After the success of today, we will arrange other events in the coming months."
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