16 May 2013 20:38:12
A journey begins with one small step so as promised I have contacted the RST. When I get a reply I'll post it on here. My email to them is below:

I am a Rangers supporter, season ticket holder and follower of Rangers forums. My wife is a Proud Pompey supporter and member of Clan Pompey (The Scottish Pompey supporters club). Right now she is rightly proud of the efforts of all Pompey supporters as despite their years of difficulties; they have achieved their goal of fan ownership through the efforts of the PST and genuine fans.
As you may or may not be aware there seems to be a large section of our support who feel the RST do not represent the opinions of the majority of fans. This is not intended to be a slight on the RST, just a genuine question about how the RST feel about this?
Personally, I feel that the RST have an opportunity to play a major part in galvanizing the Rangers support and helping us move forward with the goal of supporter governance of our great club. My questions are these; are the RST ready and willing to use their already established model to take action? Are the RST willing to begin a process whereby they consult season ticket holders about their hopes for the future of our great club? And finally, what do the RST think about the proposal of some supporters to use season ticket money to buy shares as a way to achieve the fan ownership goal? This last question seems to be one that has been raised quite a lot recently and although I do not represent all season ticket holders I feel it is a proposal worth looking into. As you are already an established supporters association I feel you already have resources in place to begin a process of change; and in some ways it is your duty to use your established position gauge the fans feelings and present them to the club. So what do you think? are you READY to be the one the RANGERS SUPPORTERS TRUST?

1.) 16 May 2013
Baybear,

I think that RST and indeed RSA are two of the most inept, self serving, useless organisations to ever exist. I believe they are only interested in getting their names in the paper or get five minutes on the telly. Since the Whyte debacle, who they described as "impressive", they have really done nothing but harm to our club. Their insistence that season ticket prices be reduced whilst we were scrambling about for every penny was wrong. As usual the headlines appear to stand up for the fans, but as usual not thought out properly. I would gladly have paid a bit more in our time of need.
When the Whyte scandal broke with the tv they demanded a meeting. They asked him one question, "when will accounts be published" I can think of a hundred better questions, like why are you incapable of telling the truth.
Then we had the ill thought threats of boycotts when we should have been trying to make friends with SPL clubs who were to vote on our future.
Everything they do is inadequate, to compare these people with the Celtic fans who took to the streets to demand change is like chalk and cheese. That is what they should have done, demand answers that we are still waiting for.
Rangers fans badly need and deserve a supporters body that truely represents the fans view. These are not the people to do it.
Perhaps if we had that in place we would not be in the trouble we seem to still be in, some group that consists of business people, ordinary fans, people more interested in the truth than spin and rubbish.
As you will gather they will never have my support.

2.) 16 May 2013
Baybear- fantastic well done I am still writing my letter to them however I would encourage anyone who remotely agrees with us to cut, paste and copy your letter to the RST.
I can only hope all bears think there is some merit in this and unite behind us. or do they have a better idea!Eastbear

3.) 16 May 2013
An excellent letter Baybear, good points and very well put.
Now I don't wish to come across as being negative, because I genunely believe the ST idea would have worked, if it were not for three major hurdles.

1. Why invest more money at a time when we don't really know who or what we're investing in. It would be more prudent to put the ST money aside and pay on a game to game basis until things become a bit clearer.
2. There are still ongoing investigations which could potentially reverse part or, all of D&P's processes. If that does happen, then that' may well be the time for your plan of action to take place.
3. The danger is that starving the club of finances altogether, as some people are suggesting would be a bad move, and we could lose it all together, so caution is very much required.
That's why I would suggest the best plan is to pay at the gate for now.
Nevertheless I congratulate you on the good work and obvious thought that you have put into this project.
Well done.
P. O. B.

4.) 17 May 2013
@3 While I agree it is a nervous time to invest, I think that gives us the edge, no one is excepting the bears to unite, after all in the past we have not been good at buying shares! This could and should work to our advantage this time as the money men have only counted our ST money, not our ability to play the stock market, Time to bite back!Eastbear

5.) 17 May 2013
@1 great reply to baybear's post. One week before Craig Sh#te was announcing our club was possibly going into administration the "president" of the Rangers Assembly stated "the majority of Rangers Fans were still behind CW-wtf- no we were n't only the brain dead like him were. We do need some united truly representative fans group to be proactive/ decisive and lead the fight for our club. The quality of possible future directors and some current ones are not good enough and undeserving of our support. But we need a true rangers fan group to tell the "city players" et all "we are the club" without our support and hard earned cash you are nothing. We need this but can we deliver it or are we all including me hot air merchants?

6.) 17 May 2013
@ 1) agree wholeheartedly with your views the fans gave their money not really knowing to whom or where it was going. The board need to stop squabbling amongst themselves there are far to many bad vibes comming out of Ibrox at the moment at this time we need unity.
Bobby

7.) 17 May 2013
Baybear great read m8 but the RST represent a very small small percentage of Rangers fans. They have been operating for over 10 years and only have 2556 members. RST fit to start of a fan ownership scheme NEVER IN YOUR LIFE. It would require a new organistion headed by an Ex Player or Manager in high standing and with the backing of other prominent ex bears. The new organisation would be needed to rid all RST, RSA, RSA infighting as currently all 3 couldn't agree on the colour of s****.

8.) 17 May 2013
Troops- All valid points and taken on board. The point I was trying to make is this. The RST are only as good as the people who are members. We all spend a small fortune following our club so what's another £10 to join the RST thus forcing the trust to become a true representation of the fans? I am mearly looking at the RST as a vehicle for our cause. Granted this vehicle needs work but the advantage is they already have an infrastructure and resources in place. Rightly or wrongly they also seem to be granted airtime by the media and this can all be used to our advantage. Think the idea of an ex player heading this is a good shout although I feel interested parties should be agreed by the fans. Personally I can only judge a person by what I know of them and with that in mind my choice would be someone like Laudrup. At the very least £10 for a voice would confirm if the RST are truly up for representing the fans. If I know that myself and like minded fans have paid their £10 but there views are still not represented then that £10 has given me the truth about who to trust; A tenner well spent in my book. Remember an organisation is only as good as the sum of its parts. It's a small thing but I really feel we could change the RST into an effective outlet for our voices to be heard.
Baybear

9.) 17 May 2013
"The Rangers Supporters Trust has one simple aim: to encourage and facilitate supporters of Rangers FC to buy and hold share in the club in order to influence future decisions.

The future of Rangers must be in the hands of people who care about the club rather than just seeing it as a financial investment.
The long term aim of The Rangers Supporters Trust is to deliver ownership of the club to its loyal supporters"

Is this not what we all ultimately want? Let's hold them to this then by joining up and forcing change.
Alternatively we can keep bickering amoungst ourselves which will suit the moneymen down to the ground.
ONE VOICE, ONE GOAL, ONE NIL TO THE RANGERS SUPPORTERS!

Baybear

10.) 17 May 2013
The idea of an ex-player starting this ball rolling is one we could all get behind.

11.) 17 May 2013
Baybear some good points but surely the fans who are members of the rst already asking these questions so what are they doing nothing so why should the rest of us fans pay them money to do what any fan in their position as you say with access to the media would be doing I can't recall anything they have done to get answers they are shareholders after all

12.) 17 May 2013
@11 In all honesty mate f**k knows what there doing but I'm happy to loose a tenner to find out. I loose that on my football coupon every week after all.

13.) 17 May 2013
Baybear fair play mate but to call theirselves supporters trust is a f*kin joke they wer big with their mouth in December when it came to buying shares thru them so the fans could have a say and they've done nothin am pretty sure fans who purchased shares a think would hope the rst would be speaking up for them when I look across to the eastend the g b would be camped outside ther

14.) 17 May 2013
Thebear82- wouldn't dispute any of your points mate. On your analysis of the GB over the East end here's a mad idea? We could maybe start listening to some of them instead of denouncing their every word. After all, these supporters have experience of boardroom struggles albeit a slightly different scenario. There also seems to be a section of them who actually want us to get the finger out so we can resume our football rivalry. For the many who want us to die there are others who are also sick of listening to this never ending saga of ours. A minority maybe but they are out there. To be fair to some, they gave us plenty warning and we simply gave them the finger in response, me included on occasion.
To much blame, excuses and passing the buck. Acceptance of our own failings and affirmative action are long overdue.

15.) 17 May 2013
Baybear I agree but there are to many watp nobody likes us fans that just can't except its our problem nobody else's I just wish they all start taken notice instead of given it everybody with an opinion is a hater of our great club