A challenging pre-season has heaped the pressure on Rangers chairman John Bennett.
The Ibrox investor is one of a number of bluenose businessmen who bailed the club out in their time of need but finds himself under scrutiny from frustrated supporters.
When things don’t go right on the park it leads to uproar off it as we seen with former chairman Douglas Park, managing director Stewart Robertson and sporting director Ross Wilson, who have all moved on from Ibrox over the last 18 months.
But with Rangers having no CEO to feel the wrath of fans – James Bisgrove jumping ship to Saudi – Bennett finds himself firmly in fan crosshairs.
Between the club’s flailing transfer pursuits and the situation at Ibrox/Hampden, there’s plenty for supporters to be frustrated about.
Now, expectant bluenoses are awaiting an imminent update from John Bennett and we suspect the timing isn’t great for anyone at Rangers.
Rangers fans wait on ‘personal’ Bennett update
As Rangers announced a deal to use Hampden amid the Copland Stand’s flailing refurbishment, John Bennett took the chance to address supporters.
Apologising for the situation, which will see season ticket holders take up residence at the national stadium for an as of yet undetermined length of the time, the communication came amid bubbling tensions.
But it also came with a promise that by the end of this month, Rangers fans would get a clearer update from the club’s chairman.
“First I’d like to apologise on behalf of the club for the uncertainty that this delayed project has caused to our season ticket holders, hospitality clients, partners and the wider support of this football club,” Bennett told the official Rangers website.
“The number of variables in this situation has made it extremely difficult to bring the one thing we all crave – certainty.
“Nevertheless, we are closing in on the most immediate solution – a suitable venue at which to fulfil our fixtures and house our support.
“While the ongoing delay means that the club is unable to fix a date for our return to Ibrox, we anticipate that this will become clearer upon delivery of the necessary materials to Glasgow.
“Rangers thanks the Scottish FA and the SPFL for their strong support in working to this solution.
“The club wholeheartedly appreciates the continued patience of our supporters while we work through this most trying of situations.
“I intend to give a fuller, personal update by the end of July.”
Gers chairman must outline title ambitions
Rangers fans have been calling for Bennett to come out and show some leadership as the club’s long-held Scottish footballing dominance begins to slip from its grasp.
Claiming that a personal update was set to be given before the end of July, Rangers fans are now a couple of days out from August and expectations to deliver on that promise are also rising.
The problem is, we suspect the Rangers chairman probably thought there would be more transfer business done to allay fan frustrations by the time July rolled to a close.
Rangers have failed in a number of high profile transfer pursuits with the registration for additions to the club’s Champions League qualifying squad set to pass on August 1st.
With as much as £30m on the line for Champions League qualification, Rangers risk falling further behind Celtic both financially and on a footballing level.
The club’s leadership structure is also lacking definition, whilst the situation with Ibrox adds to a lingering stink around a club and squad who’ve been unable to deliver on the minimum expectations in Glasgow.
Bennett would’ve probably hoped fan sentiment would be in a better place by now but as the kick off approaches against Hearts next weekend, the toxicity is rising.
If you’re not first, you may as well be last at Rangers, and the club’s chairman is going to have to communicate to fans how he plans to deliver on that expectation this season.
