Realism

[Sleeping Giants]

I find it almost ironic at times that we were founded by the merger of Christchurch Rangers and St Jude's Institute and to this day Jude the cat is our mascot. St Jude was the patron saint of lost causes.

[topperharley]

The realist view for me is that this is a version of the club - not just the team - that is entirely at odds with what supporters want and expect. And it's out in the open.

The owners want to stem the flow of money into the club from themselves, and I don't criticise them for wanting that, and the only way that can happen is through player sales. More specifically, it's through developing and selling on younger players. All of those recruits know that we are not a destination, we're a station on the rails to somewhere else. Modern players are often mercenaries at the best of times but this approach doubles down on that. More than that though; even if those players do do well and get sold on then we pick up more players at the same level those players were previously at when they joined the club and the whole process of development begins again which is actually stasis for the club on the pitch albeit not necessarily financially and that's because the vast majority of those players are not going to be Eze or Raheem. These developed players are most likely to end up at better Championship sides rather than Premier League ones. There will be profits but not enough for the team on the pitch to markedly improve.

To be consistent in the Championship you need a core of experienced players who are the first 7-11 names on the team sheet each week, with the younger players getting a look in following injury or loss of form - eventually some of those will inherit the first name on the sheet privilege. If you want to shop window players and constantly tinker so those younger players get spotlight time then the price will be the kind of inconsistency that we see with us pretty much on a permanent basis at the moment.

The real cost is what feels like a detachment between club and supporters. How long can supporters turn up and give their time and support to a club that actually has no connection to the permanent support because the club is largely made up of people knowingly just passing through? We all know that that's the nature of things for a lot of football clubs - no connection, no loyalty, no specific desire to play for the club you're at - and always has been. Today though it feels like it's the expected norm rather than just for a minority of the club's staff. Frankly, I'm surprised that supporters have as much patience as they do and come back again and again because that devotion doesn't feel either genuinely appreciated or reciprocated by clubs.

Still, you've got to laugh.

Excellent comment.

Gone are the days of club heroes, at least for now. Charlie Austin was probably our last club hero that really felt the same about us, a player that we loved and I think, despite being here at a time of mercenaries, loved the club back.

Who is our current longest standing palyer in the first team, Ilias? The club do try and put him on a pedestal on socials.

[Acton Stations]

Excellent comment.

Gone are the days of club heroes, at least for now. Charlie Austin was probably our last club hero that really felt the same about us, a player that we loved and I think, despite being here at a time of mercenaries, loved the club back.

Who is our current longest standing palyer in the first team, Ilias? The club do try and put him on a pedestal on socials.

Indeed. I also wonder to what extent this is responsible for our lack of a leader on the pitch. We need to find the type of owner who is not only a supporter but who is also keen to invest in the club to keep a good team together. Dream on .....

[cross it Dave]

Since 1882, like most clubs Rangers have only been a top Division 1 or Premiership club for 2 or 3 seasons.

From the mid sixties through to the early nineties we punched well above our weight.

Our attendances went through the roof, 5,000 to 20,000 plus.

The realism is today we are minnows in a pond of giants.

[daveshads]

Quite right crossit. And it's a very small pond. This, inevitably is what happens when money takes over.
Another outcome, for me at least, is that large parts of most games have become quite boring. The moneyed men, if they had foresight, might like to think about that.

[DJ Hooper W12]

The realist view for me is that this is a version of the club - not just the team - that is entirely at odds with what supporters want and expect. And it's out in the open.

The owners want to stem the flow of money into the club from themselves, and I don't criticise them for wanting that, and the only way that can happen is through player sales. More specifically, it's through developing and selling on younger players. All of those recruits know that we are not a destination, we're a station on the rails to somewhere else. Modern players are often mercenaries at the best of times but this approach doubles down on that. More than that though; even if those players do do well and get sold on then we pick up more players at the same level those players were previously at when they joined the club and the whole process of development begins again which is actually stasis for the club on the pitch albeit not necessarily financially and that's because the vast majority of those players are not going to be Eze or Raheem. These developed players are most likely to end up at better Championship sides rather than Premier League ones. There will be profits but not enough for the team on the pitch to markedly improve.

To be consistent in the Championship you need a core of experienced players who are the first 7-11 names on the team sheet each week, with the younger players getting a look in following injury or loss of form - eventually some of those will inherit the first name on the sheet privilege. If you want to shop window players and constantly tinker so those younger players get spotlight time then the price will be the kind of inconsistency that we see with us pretty much on a permanent basis at the moment.

The real cost is what feels like a detachment between club and supporters. How long can supporters turn up and give their time and support to a club that actually has no connection to the permanent support because the club is largely made up of people knowingly just passing through? We all know that that's the nature of things for a lot of football clubs - no connection, no loyalty, no specific desire to play for the club you're at - and always has been. Today though it feels like it's the expected norm rather than just for a minority of the club's staff. Frankly, I'm surprised that supporters have as much patience as they do and come back again and again because that devotion doesn't feel either genuinely appreciated or reciprocated by clubs.

Still, you've got to laugh.

Brilliant post couldn’t agree more. The club shows no intent on making the playoffs or a let’s get promoted attitude and that’s reflected in our performances. It’s the same every season Just accept what you get dished up. As l have said many many times before l still believe we are a big club and we should start behaving like one.
Glad l got that off my chest !!

[72bus]

Sometimes football goes in circles , we will come again .
For me it's not what we get served up on the pitch it's the friends I've made , the places I've been , the memories I've made , taking my boys when they were little , the scrapes I got into and the stories I get to tell ..

[Abseits]

Sometimes football goes in circles , we will come again .
For me it's not what we get served up on the pitch it's the friends I've made , the places I've been , the memories I've made , taking my boys when they were little , the scrapes I got into and the stories I get to tell ..

Good post. Strikes me that using those metrics, the time we spent in L1 was great fun.... I think actually winning a game is the cherry on the top of the cake. Those couple of seasons in L1 we actually won a lot of games with good honest hardworking players you could identify with.

This decade of Championship mediocrity and constantly falling short is starting to grate - there's only so many times you can view a visit to PNE as fun. I like going there but now I've been umpteen times I could do with a change.

[SheepRanger]

We might click and fluke a premiership visit via the play offs, which for me, would only be good for the money. Seeing your team getting thrashed every week isn't much fun whilst paying £70 for the privilege. Grab as much money as we can and come down with the same squad that got us up. I've hated the prem in the past, enjoy the championship but loved L1 when we were a big fish with the spirit that Olly created. Birch, Derry, Cook, Hill etc.

As we all know, the current owners have done their money and they want to create a stable championship club, at close to breakeven as possible. Then, we may become a club that can be marketed for sale with new investors focusing on a new 30k stadium. Its a big financial ask to fund both squad and stadium development at the same time.

But I can't think of any other club I'd rather support. I like the Dunkirk spirit that's needed to support a small club.

[cross it Dave]

Well said Sheep