Paddy Stewart seems to have stirred up more than a hornets nest with his actions over the last couple of weeks, just when he has finally found a surprise upturn with results on the park for the troubled Ibrox club.
Off it the recently installed CEO is having a bit of a mare with actions that are causing serious distress to the hard-core support that have backed the club since formation in 2012.
They have had very little in the way of success to celebrate but the loyal bears have bought their Season Tickets in droves and paid ridiculous prices to be staunched-oot-their nut with overpriced Castore tat as the club and their retail partners exploit the orange pound to the max.
Hilariously the club has come out with a statement in which they are apparently a broad church, open to all, where all shades of opinion is respected and welcomed.
The reality is that the club at Ibrox is the rallying point for the most intolerant, extremists in society. A place where old school hatred is encouraged as they cling on to a completely misplaced notion of supremacy that has largely been wiped out of society this century.
Glasgow City Council still panders to Orange hate parades all through the summer months but the numbers attending are falling rapidly with just pockets of support and virtually no influence.
The industries of the past such as shipyards and steel working have been wiped out, multi-national companies employ people on ability not on Lodge memberships, flute playing ability or funny handshakes.
For those displaced by these developments there is always Ibrox to feel at home, the club of David Murray and Walter Smith died in 2012 but their ethos lives on in the building where the new club play their home matches.
Craig Houston became a ‘fans supremo’ just over a decade ago as the Sons of Struth battled to get rid of the spivs and replace them with Real Rangers Men.
Unfortunately the RRM have gone all WOKE and big Craigy isn’t at all happy.
Don’t mistake Houston as a lone wolf, in less than a day his video is nudging 50,000 views, without doubt he is a voice of the PEOPLE, someone that CEO Stewart should be wary of as he attempts a makeover of a support entrenched in 1690 mythology.
The banners raised against Fenerbahce didn’t provoke any club reaction until they were hit with three UEFA charges, that resulted in an incredible club statement, disowning their core support is a very dangerous step. Having a stand or stadium closed is a terrifying prospect for Stewart as he stares at losses pushing towards £30m for this season.
Disconnecting with loyal bears is a dangerous policy, especially when the club has hosted an Iftar. After a google search an Iftar is associated with Ramadan and involved Muslims being given the run of Ibrox for prayer sessions and other activities. For many bears, brought up on WATP it is all a step way too far.
Houston suggests that Christian events should be equally welcome at Ibrox which leads to the Orange Order, in the mid-eighties their traditional summer Ibrox Assemblies were stopped. There is no mention of the Church of Scotland or any other religious group.
Welcoming the Everyone, Anyone initiative, Houston who will stand for the Scottish Parliament for the Social Democratic Party will be pushing for Christian activities returning to Ibrox.
He no longer has any official connection to the club but his You Tube numbers confirm that he is a significant influencer.
While Stewart attempts to modernise he might find the balancing act with people like Houston and his views challenging knowing that UEFA could pull the plug at any time on the income that is keeping this season afloat.
Michael Nicholson has been working hard at Celtic to bring back significant numbers of away fans to the Glasgow Derby, why you’d want associated with that fan-base defies logic.
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