Keith Jackson speaks out on Rangers divide between fans and board at Ibrox
Michael Beale and his Rangers team are making a “nasty habit” of angering supporters with their words as the disharmony between the fanbase and the club continues to rise, according to Keith Jackson.
The Gers have been talking the talk off the pitch in recent weeks but failed to deliver the goods when it really mattered in the Viaplay Cup final, in which they lost 2-1 to Celtic.
This loss to their Old Firm rivals, along with the board’s rudderless leadership in the past few years, led to the Union Bears supporters group unveiling a banner in protest to the club’s hierarchy during the 3-1 win against Kilmarnock on Saturday (4 March).
Writing in his weekly column for Record Sport (Monday, 6 March), Jackson urged Beale and his players to be careful at driving a wedge between themselves and the Ibrox faithful.
He wrote: “Whether it’s Michael Beale, John Lundstram, Fashion Sakala or James Tavernier, Rangers are making a nasty habit of saying all the wrong things at all the wrong times.
“Even worse, together they’re in danger of driving a wedge between themselves and the very core support that they’re trying to placate and keep onside.
“As the old adage goes, sometimes it’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. Because the more noise they make, the more they’ve tied their own tongues up in knots over these last couple of weeks.
“And the angrier and more insulted their own fans have become. So when a banner was unfurled by the militant section at Ibrox on Saturday, it was a clear signal that the time has come for a little less conversation and a little more action. ‘After 55 titles you took your eye off the ball. Time for change’.”
Pressure rising
Although Beale has recorded an almost blemish-free record since taking the reins from Giovanni van Bronkhorst – 34 points from a possible 36 – the pressure still remains on him and every other person of power within the club following recent chatter.
The English manager will know he misspoke both before and after the match when he claimed Celtic held an advantage due to their spending power, and it may only be now that he realises just how big a job he has taken on at Ibrox.
The banner that was unveiled during the 3-1 win over Kilmarnock was the first public sign of discontent within the Gers’ fanbase at the board – and this pressure could rise further if the club continue to miss out to their Old Firm rivals this season.
For now, Beale needs to keep delivering the goods in the Scottish Premiership and hope to clinch some silverware in the form of the Scottish Cup before the pressure cooker of the summer transfer window arrives.
In other Rangers news, a former FIFA official slammed a decision from Collum and then got Stephen Craigan’s name wrong.