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I wondered before what would make a fan chant " we want our Rangers back" and I always considered it a chant that mean't they would like to go back to the dark days. I've spoken to a few fans about this and for me it goes a bit deeper than that. No-one is suggesting ( i think) that for a brand we are making good progress off the pitch and have players at the club that we could have only wished for 3 years ago, but I get the sense its more than that.
That underdog feeling has gone. A game against Nottingham Forest or Plymouth 2-3 years ago we would have been happy with a draw. Now, our expectations are so much higher, when we don't get the wins, fans get despondant. I cannot put my finger on it quite yet, but Saturday seems more a place to meet up with friends now as opposed to actually watching the games. Going back a couple of years ago, if we beat Preston at home whilst struggling against relegation, it gave the fans a sense of unity, now after almost 2 years of the takeover, I get the sense fans are not happy. We are paying more, new players have come into the club and with that expectations are higher and when they don't come off it makes a number more angry. I can see what the club are trying to do, but its a results business and by finishing 11th last season and not starting off well this season, its got fans saying "same old". First game of the season we around 15,000 versus Blackpool, we seem to have lost 1,500-2,000 fans within 2 weeks, when you consider that Forest brought more than Blackpool.
I make the comparisons with the old FA CUp finals and even to a degree the early cup rounds, which often had a underdog appear in the final. Everyone was on the side of the underdog and with that you knew the players would give 100% and when they won, it would make those fans ecstatic. You never expected to win, so when you did fans grouped together. We go into practically every game expecting to win, which itself brings added pressure to both players and fans.
What has not helped is 4 year forecasts, with that expectation rises. Before, we knew we would be struggling, but players tried and thats all fans asked for. They may not have the greatest players in the world, but it was blood, sweat, determination over money. Its hard to weigh up, but sometimes in life if you have something to prove you exceed expectations, with some players now in the comfort zone for me its a matter of some just turning up. The first year we got promoted into the championship we finished a little higher than we did last season, when we did not have the money. We won 7 games on the spin that season, because our backs were against the walls after a poor start. The point, I am trying to make is when everyone is comfortable, then you take everyday as it is, turn up for training, play your games win or lose no real pressure. Even as early as 3-4 years ago, players had something to prove to the fans and we all knew that many players were not the best, but they put in a shift, thats want the majority of fans mean when they sing "we want our rangers back"
I'm just wondering with it being so comfortable now whether we get the same kind of commitment from all the players.
That underdog feeling has gone. A game against Nottingham Forest or Plymouth 2-3 years ago we would have been happy with a draw. Now, our expectations are so much higher, when we don't get the wins, fans get despondant. I cannot put my finger on it quite yet, but Saturday seems more a place to meet up with friends now as opposed to actually watching the games. Going back a couple of years ago, if we beat Preston at home whilst struggling against relegation, it gave the fans a sense of unity, now after almost 2 years of the takeover, I get the sense fans are not happy. We are paying more, new players have come into the club and with that expectations are higher and when they don't come off it makes a number more angry. I can see what the club are trying to do, but its a results business and by finishing 11th last season and not starting off well this season, its got fans saying "same old". First game of the season we around 15,000 versus Blackpool, we seem to have lost 1,500-2,000 fans within 2 weeks, when you consider that Forest brought more than Blackpool.
I make the comparisons with the old FA CUp finals and even to a degree the early cup rounds, which often had a underdog appear in the final. Everyone was on the side of the underdog and with that you knew the players would give 100% and when they won, it would make those fans ecstatic. You never expected to win, so when you did fans grouped together. We go into practically every game expecting to win, which itself brings added pressure to both players and fans.
What has not helped is 4 year forecasts, with that expectation rises. Before, we knew we would be struggling, but players tried and thats all fans asked for. They may not have the greatest players in the world, but it was blood, sweat, determination over money. Its hard to weigh up, but sometimes in life if you have something to prove you exceed expectations, with some players now in the comfort zone for me its a matter of some just turning up. The first year we got promoted into the championship we finished a little higher than we did last season, when we did not have the money. We won 7 games on the spin that season, because our backs were against the walls after a poor start. The point, I am trying to make is when everyone is comfortable, then you take everyday as it is, turn up for training, play your games win or lose no real pressure. Even as early as 3-4 years ago, players had something to prove to the fans and we all knew that many players were not the best, but they put in a shift, thats want the majority of fans mean when they sing "we want our rangers back"
I'm just wondering with it being so comfortable now whether we get the same kind of commitment from all the players.
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