Rangers chairman John Bennett could face unrest already as he goes back on fan promise
Rangers chairman John Bennett is still yet to break his silence since replacing Douglas Park at Ibrox and he could well face some fan protests already.
Park suddenly stood down from his four-year role on 4 April and was replaced by Bennett, yet the former vice-chairman has remained extremely tight-lipped since taking the role which certainly wouldn’t please the Rangers faithful.
Scottish Daily Mail journalist Gary Keown slammed Bennett in his latest column (pg 100, 16 April) calling the 59-year-old to show himself and speak up amidst all the unrest at Ibrox, and claimed that a potential “civil war” shouldn’t be the foundation on which to build a successful future at the club.
Keown wrote: “He surely can’t hide away like Park did? He certainly can’t keep running the place in the same way. He needs to be open to questions, as of this moment, there’s an obvious one to start with. Where are you?”
Indeed, as the Gers are currently seeing their Old Firm rivals steal a march on them in the Scottish Premiership and in terms of recruitment, Bennett certainly isn’t helping matters with his continued silence, especially when Gers fans will be desperate for updates on what the future holds for the club.
Also, Bennett previously promised fans he would be more transparent and more communicative following the departure of Head of Communications Officer David Graham.
He said [via Football.Scotland]: “We must accept there will always be challenges, challenged by our own support and rightly so, rightly so. They are the lifeblood, that’s who really owns this club.
“I don’t know about you, I was very struck by English Premier League fans and their reaction in certain clubs to that whole Super League stuff. That told the owners of those clubs who really owns the club. I’m a part owner of Rangers but I’m every bit as much an owner of Rangers as a fan, a supporter, as I am somebody who happens to own some shares. Never will we take them for granted.
“That’s why I’m annoyed at some valid, valid criticism, observations, that our communication with our fans hasn’t been good enough recently. Let’s fix that. They own the club, they’re the lifeblood. It’s not just a phrase, they own the club.”
Despite all these comments, it seems Bennett is going back on his word, even as he takes up arguably the most crucial and pivotal role at such a prestigious football club. This really isn’t a healthy start to his tenure, and it isn’t a healthy one for the Rangers support or the club as a whole.
Why on earth has Bennett stepped up and still not said anything? He should’ve been actively trying to build bridges with an already divided fanbase the moment he was made chairman. It seems like its a continuation of the Park regime where he will be another needless silent partner.
Now, there remains further uncertainty as to how Rangers will look to bridge the gap between themselves and Celtic.
What is the plan moving forward? What kind of change will there be? Will Michael Beale be backed as he’s expecting? These are serious questions that need to be put forward to the new Light Blues chief.
The Ross Wilson departure may not have helped matters either. Who is next in line to replace him? Rangers fans will desperately be hoping that Bennett’s silence means he’s working hard behind the scenes. He’s got to break the duck at some point because this is potentially damaging.
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