For years, Rangers fans have wanted their club to be more like Celtic, and not just in terms of winning trophies and success on the pitch.
After the last two Old Firm derbies, statements have had to be made about supporter behaviour or the actions of the players.
Which begs the question – are Rangers finally playing the same game as Celtic?
Patrick Stewart knows that he will have to make unpopular decisions as CEO, but the appointment of Kevin Thelwell as sporting director at least lets him concentrate on the administrative side of the job.
Looking across social media though, Stewart is already an unpopular figure, seemingly intent on criticising the Rangers fan base at every turn, or is he?
Has Patrick Stewart crossed the line at Rangers?
In every walk of the life the phrase “playing the game” has its worth.
It doesn’t mean lying to get your way or being disingenious, however, as seen after recent tifos displayed by the Union Bears, Rangers have had to say something due to possible sanctions.
Saying nothing isn’t an option.
The Graeme Souness inspired tifo for the Old Firm derby wouldn’t have been a surprise to everyone sitting in the directors’ box, neither would the very clever Star Wars related play on words.
Maybe, just maybe, Rangers are playing the long game.
There was clearly nothing wrong with the tifo depicting a famous image of Souness, it certainly didn’t glorify IRA members or, even worse, have effigies of dummies hanging from the rafters as has been seen at Celtic Park.
Rangers need the mentality that Souness brought to Ibrox, the “no-one likes us, we don’t care” approach and that tifo could be the start.
What have Rangers said about “Tifogate”?
In a strongly worded statement, Rangers were right to call out the supporter who threw a bottle onto the pitch, but it is easy to see why fans have turned on the club for what has been said about the tifo:
“Rangers Football Club condemns the actions of the individual who threw a bottle during today’s match. This behaviour has no place at our stadium. Steps have already been taken to identify the person responsible, and the club will take the strongest possible action once their identity is confirmed.
“We also acknowledge that the tifo displayed prior to kick-off crossed a line and was unacceptable. Our approach to supporter displays has always been built on trust, with the responsibility placed on groups to exercise good judgement.
“We will reflect on how these displays are managed and engage with supporter groups to ensure the right balance of trust, responsibility and oversight is maintained moving forward.
“Rangers is proud of its passionate fanbase, and we all share a duty to protect the standards and reputation of our club.”
The only way that the truth will really out, will be in future tifos and whether or not the Union Bears are allowed to be as creative in the future.
If they are, Stewart might just be the sort of CEO that has been needed to play the Scottish football game where one side of the Old Firm seems to get away with a lot more than the other.
