It is said that the customer is always right. That may not be true of the fan on every occasion, but the supporter does – at the very least - have a legitimate claim to be heard.
There have been times in recent seasons where Rangers have failed to read the room. It is one thing not talking to those that matter most, but it is even worse when you don’t seem to listen either.
Like so much at Ibrox right now, that situation is changing. It is a summer of widespread alterations to the playing squad, of fresh faces and ideas at executive and boardroom levels and a renewed optimism amongst the rank and file.
The two figures leading Rangers into a new era are familiar ones. Chairman John Bennett and James Bisgrove, the incoming chief executive officer, have been reinvigorated by their respective moves into their current berths and there is a drive and dynamism around Ibrox once again.
Ultimately, their successes and failures will be shaped in the arena that they have the least control over. If Michael Beale’s side win, they will be seen as having done a good job. If Rangers end the term empty handed, they will take their share of the unfriendly fire.
Such a scenario will not come as a surprise to either. Bennett’s lifelong support of and association with the club gives him that understanding of the situation, while Bisgrove has been through enough over his four years at Ibrox to know which way the wind blows, and why.
On Wednesday evening, Bisgrove will hold his first fans’ forum event at New Edmiston House. It is a sign of things to come, a positive step in a series of measures that are being taken to ensure Rangers are more open and accountable than they have been for a long time.
The seasons that saw Rangers lift the historic 55th league title and reach the Europa League final should have been the easiest in a generation in terms of relations with supporters and stakeholders. Instead, the communications strategy was to not communicate and disheartened fans felt disengaged from their club.
Much-needed changes in personnel and policies are welcome and the supporter engagement strategy that was released ahead of Bisgrove’s meet-and-greet will have been endorsed by many sections of a fanbase that have been at arm’s length for so long. The days of pay your money and keep quiet won’t cut it and Bisgrove must own the good and the bad as an accountable, accessible figurehead of a modern, forward-thinking football club.
Around 400 supporters will be present at NEH for the first of the quarterly sessions and Bisgrove will be joined by the respective heads of department in areas such as customer service, events and retail and facilities. John Speirs, the disability access officer, and supporters liaison officer Greg Marshall may well be in for a busy evening if recent AGMs are anything to go by and it should be hoped that these sessions prove more useful than the yearly question and answer sections at the Armadillo.
In the marketing material produced to promote the engagement strategy, Bennett and Bisgrove spoke of ‘strengthening the relationship’ between the club and the fans, giving supporters ‘a voice’ to ensure they feel ‘connected’ and revealed how the plan will be put into practice.
A newly established fan advisory board – which reflects the ‘wide and diverse community of the Rangers support’ – will provide input at a strategic level and Bisgrove has been named as the board member that will be accountable for liaison. Under the FAB, engagement working groups will be formed to focus on specific projects or initiatives.
Supporter collaboration sessions, or SCS to use another acronym, will be informal events to allow a greater number of fans to contribute to the overall process and the results will be made available on the official club website and app, as well as being seen through dedicated social media channels.
Supporters groups such as the Association, the Union Bears and the bodies in Northern Ireland, North America and Oceania will be consulted more regularly and there will be in investment in terms of time, money and people to, as Bennett and Bisgrove put it, ensure Rangers is the ‘best club it can be.’
The independence of those various committees and commissions is crucial. Football Supporters Europe have been asked for assistance, while representatives of the fan engagement department will attend the European Football Fans Congress, which begins in Manchester on Thursday.
It would be easy for detractors to dismiss the blueprint as hollow promises and window dressing.
💙 #RangersFC is today delighted to share our new supporter engagement strategy. Click below for all the info 👇
— Rangers Football Club (@RangersFC) June 14, 2023
All clubs are guilty of overdoing the cliches and buzzwords at times but there is a desire from Bennett and Bisgrove to ensure that this strategy – formed under the pillars of leadership and culture, listening, collaborate and participate share and learn and improve – has meaningful outcomes at Ibrox.
The task could be seen as a thankless one and the fact that the customer service department alone deals with up to 20,000 enquiries each month speaks volumes. A supporter base as widespread in terms of geography and vast in terms of number can never be fully placated, but that doesn’t mean that a fingers-in-the-ears policy is the right way to proceed and Rangers should be praised rather than pilloried for trying to find gains in an area where there is scope for improvement.
Issues such as ticketing and retail can be resolved with clear and concise information. Others need a broader approach or a personal touch and Rangers have lost ground when it comes to making friends and influencing people as they painted themselves into corners.
Forging relationships in the corridors of power at Hampden and Holyrood and having methods of making their stance on a range of issues wider known is a longer-term ambition for the board that Bennett now leads. It makes sense, though, to start by keeping those who don’t need to be won over, those who are emotionally and financially invested in the club, on side from the off.
Rangers are listening and now they must learn too. Above all else, they must win.
