RICHARD GOUGH believes a unified Ibrox supporters group could be one of the strongest in the UK as fans bid to play their part in the Rangers rebuilding job in the coming years.
The nine-in-a-row legend has put his name forward for election to the board of Rangers First as he looks to lend his backing to the fan ownership organisation. RF currently have a 3.52% shareholding in RIFC plc and are in discussions with several bodies – including the Rangers Supporters Trust – over a proposal that would bring the Gers groups together under one umbrella.
The new unified organisation would be independent from Rangers and mobilise thousands of fans to have a voice in how their club is run. Gough is one of 23 candidates in the running for a seat on the seven person RF board and the 53-year-old is keen to help supporters have as great a say as possible going forward.
“In the beginning I was asked to join Rangers First and there is also the Rangers Supporters Trust, so I joined both of them,” he said. “Now I think the members, 97%, are all together saying they want to make one organisation.
“I was asked if I would be a director of Rangers First, or to be voted in. The bottom line is that if the members don’t want to vote me in as a director I won’t be a director. But hopefully I can.
“The club is the supporters and if they can all get together in one group I think it will be better than having splinter groups all over the place. If Rangers fans can have one voice, they can influence what can happen at the club and in Scottish football in general. I think it would help.
“It is very important that the supporters are [together]. I think Rangers could possibly have the strongest fans group in the whole of the UK if they all pulled together in the right direction.”
Both Rangers First and the RST played key roles in forcing boardroom change at Ibrox last year and they are now close to combining their resources, along with the Association, Assembly and Fans Board. A minority of supporters have previously voted against the proposals currently on the table but Gough reckons there is strength and safety in numbers.
“The biggest thing is unity,” he said. “You are putting all the members at the heart of the new group. The one thing we have got to make sure is that the events of the last few years never happen again.
“I thought it would be a much slower process on the field and off the field. At the moment, things are very good. We are ahead in the league and the stuff off the field, day by day, is getting dismantled, like stuff with [Mike] Ashley, and the club is starting to come back a bit.
“The main thing is that the club is being run by a board who are Rangers supporters. It is important that the support plays a part in re-establishing the club as well.”
Next month will mark the one year anniversary since Dave King, Paul Murray and John Gilligan emerged victorious from a lengthy battle for control at Ibrox and overthrew the former Gers hierarchy. Significant progress has been made on and off the park since and Gough, who backed King’s bid for power, is pleased the board’s efforts are paying dividends.
“No [I didn’t have any doubts about Dave],” he said. “I was just worried if he had the backing to get the board as it was then out because they seemed very entrenched when Dave came to me and, with the help of Paul Murray, John Gilligan, Douglas Park, set out what he was going to try and do. Of course there were doubts, you would be crazy not to have any doubts. It was a big step by me to do that, but I backed my judgement.
“I don’t know all the ins and outs with Mike Ashley and paying back Ashley. Judges have come out and spoken about the bullying that Rangers have had to put up with, Dave King in particular, and [Ashley] going to court to put him in jail. This is stuff that is incredible, really. But it is all being dismantled bit by bit and hopefully that keeps going.”
The next test of the Ibrox board could come in the summer when manager Mark Warburton attempts to strengthen his squad for a Premiership campaign. Rangers are on course to clinch a top flight return this term and Gough is confident King and his fellow investors will provide the cash needed for further first team acquisitions.
“Mark will go to the board at the end of the season,” he said. “No-one knows what he is thinking in terms of players but, of course, if we are to challenge at the top of the Premiership next year, if we manage to get promoted, I would imagine that we would need to [bring players in].
“There has been a lot of talk of five or six or seven players. I am not sure if Rangers need that. The board will have to somehow come up with the finances to fund that. I am sure they will have been thinking about it and they will jump that fence when they come to it.”
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