According to Andy Newport, the fact that the under-pressure coach could afford to joke about indicates the tone of the day.
Philippe Clement must have been terrified of a shareholder brawl when he showed up for the Rangers AGM, even after seeing his team beat Kilmarnock the previous evening.
Instead, the big Belgian had the crowd eating out of his palm during an 89-minute sit-down at the Clyde Auditorium. At one occasion, he remarked, “I promise you that I didn’t ask the players to give me more more effort because I had the AGM the next day.” You can infer a lot about the atmosphere of the day from the fact that the under-pressure coach could afford to joke about.
When it comes to these yearly stakeholder summits, the Ibrox supporters can be an odd set. There is always someone willing to ignore the majority and voice a personal complaint about not being included in the ticket ballot or any other self-serving grievance, regardless of the crises impacting the broader support. Thursday was not like the others. No complaints regarding James Bisgrove’s money-grabbing MyGers scheme or references to cold Broxi burgers were made. However, several of the 1800 attendees did not believe that the club’s struggling board would be devoured by the feeding frenzy.
Without a doubt, the directors were in the dock. However, the questioning style was clinical and icy, more prosecutorial than enraged.
It would be difficult to spit and shout at interim chairman John Gilligan, to be honest. Only until his buddy and former chairman John Bennett’s health started to suffer due to the stress of dealing with the fallout from the disastrous Copland construction blunder did the former manager of Tennent’s Brewery return to the club he loves out of duty.
Several apologies were issued by him. Gilligan was limited to holding his hands as if to say, “It’s a fair cop, Guv,” when one fan remarked that it was time for the current custodians to sell up and go because they had allowed Celtic to usher in this most recent period of dominance.
“You have to make decisions and stick with them in any business, and that’s the case over the years,” he stated. “I would have believed that many of the choices made at the time were sound ones with solid justification. However, they didn’t offer what we had anticipated they would.
You couldn’t help but believe that Gilligan’s main function was to serve as a human shield for those who are far more accountable than he is for the current state of Rangers.
Furthermore, where were they? Despite being up for re-election as directors, neither George Taylor nor Julian Wolhardt, who are both stationed in the Far East, chose to attend.
Since he serves as a stand-in for his father Douglas, Graeme Park—possibly the most controversial member of the board—did trap. However, he chose to remain silent when one shareholder gave him the opportunity to speak.
Alastair Johnston did grab the mic, but most people had trouble following the former chairman’s thoughts as he abruptly suggested that the Gers should consider adopting the multi-club model that Hibs and Hearts are currently testing.
It was unclear if that would put the Ibrox at the top of the tree or provide cover under the watchful eye of a larger, more affluent patron. James Taylor, the financial head, presented the sobering statistics that explain why the Gers are where they are, so if you were looking for specifics, there was no shortage of them.
Despite the club’s record-breaking £88 million in revenue last year, daily operating expenses have tripled to above £90 million since 2017. The pay expense has decreased by £6 million to £35 million annually, but when the six-figure cost of recruiting Hampden is disclosed the next year, those savings should be eaten up. Gilligan said, “Unfortunately, that is unavoidable, but we had no choice.”
However, the club must make a significant decision regarding Clement. If his sixth try to defeat Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup final a week from Sunday, which also happens to be the day before new CEO Patrick Stewart starts his new job, there’s a suspicion that his time may be running out.
If his squad hadn’t finally caught fire on Wednesday night, when they crushed Derek McInnes’ ragged Rugby Park outfit 6-0, maybe Clement might have felt a little more heat in the room. It was a fleeting high point in a campaign that has been gloomy thus far. However, one fan questioned whether this was another false dawn or the beginning of a better era.
She said, “If you could be honest and tell us what you’re expecting at the park.” “Please be honest and let us know if it won’t happen for a few years, instead of us showing up at Ibrox every week expecting to be reliving the glory days.”
There was a burst of applause for that as well as for Clement’s response. “Winning is Rangers’ legacy,” the Belgian manager stated. “Rangers will no longer be Rangers the day we lower that threshold. My message to the dressing room is that. The new folks need to learn that.
The elder men are in the dressing room for that reason. They must maintain this club culture. Therefore, it is accurate to say that money plays a big role in football.
“The more money you have, the better quality you can purchase and obtain.” But hard work is also important. Money isn’t the sole factor.
“To get these young talents and the older players to gel together, to do the right things together, to create a better team, we’re working really hard with everyone in the building.”
With that, Clement had escaped the humiliation he had feared from the shareholders. After the events at Hampden next week, it remains to be seen if his brown Brogues will hit the ground.
