02 August 2006
Rangers FC Appoint New PR Consultants

The RST warmly welcomes the following development. We have been pressing for a professional PR Firm to be employed and are delighted that Rangers will now be able to call upon the services of one of the UK's leading PR Consultancies.

Rangers Football Club today (Wednesday) announced it has appointed Media House International Ltd as Public Relations consultants for the Club's ongoing anti-sectarian campaign.

Media House, which has offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh, London and New York, will provide strategic advice and lobbying expertise to the Club on communicating its range of anti-sectarian initiatives and policies.

Media House will work with Rangers to ensure fans, football authorities, the media, politicians, the Scottish Executive and campaigning groups are aware of the extensive activities the Club is undertaking to tackle sectarianism amongst the minority of its support.

Martin Bain, Chief Executive of Rangers Football Club, said: "Rangers Football Club undertakes a wide range of initiatives aimed at combating sectarian behaviour among a small number of supporters. Media House has been brought on board to ensure we communicate these activities and to provide strategic advice and lobbying expertise on future initiatives. "The Club is determined to eradicate this problem and welcomes the overwhelming support of the majority of supporters in helping us to achieve this."

07 August 2006
Trust Deliberately Misquoted by Hugh Keevins

The Trust would like to make it clear that at no time did Stephen Smith speak to Hugh Keevins despite the following quote in today's Daily Record:

"United's story was backed up by Steve Smith, spokesman for the Rangers Supporters Trust. He said: "We could hear the United fans singing what was clearly one of their club's songs and it was no different from the Kilmarnock fans singing about being the 'Killie boys'. The tune is the same as a Rangers song but the words aren't sectarian."

We would also like to make it clear that the ‘quotes’ from Keevins are completely fabricated.

Finally, we will be seeking a full apology and appropriate action against this sorry excuse for a journalist.

For the record, the RST will have no truck with someone who has previously compared Rangers supporters with Nazis. The Trust deplores that section of the gutter press intent on distortion, propaganda and pursuing their own sectarian agenda.

08 August 2006
The Club Deck Loyal Needs You!

Were you sickened by the campaign in parts of the Scottish media during last season to tarnish the name of our proud club? Were you saddened by the sanctions imposed by UEFA? Then why not do something about it? Join the new Club Deck Loyal singing section dedicated to creating an atmosphere that will not only spur on our team to greater honours and glory but will make everybody connected with Rangers proud.

We at the Club Deck Loyal have committed ourselves to creating just such an atmosphere at Ibrox, to providing colourful displays at every home game, to celebrate the great traditions of our club and to actively promote the culture of the Rangers supporter in a positive manner.

For many years the Club Deck has been seen as a stagnant silent part of the stadium where only corporate suits with no genuine interest in the club sat. Well now a revolution is taking place. Not only within Rangers with the introduction of our new manager but within the Club Deck itself. A group of genuine Rangers fans from the Club Deck got together last season in an attempt to reverse that old image and create a bit of an atmosphere on the Club Deck. That has led to the formation of the new singing section called, Club Deck Loyal.

If you want to be part of this fantastic revolution then why not join the Club Deck Loyal? Help to make Ibrox not only an intimidating place for visiting teams but a place where all bears can be proud. Club Deck Loyal needs Rangers supporters like you. Join us today.

We are the people

Visit our Website at:

http://www.clubdeckloyal.co.uk

or our Messageboard at:

http://www.clubdeckloyal.co.uk/mboard/

Email: admin@clubdeckloyal.co.uk

09 August 2006
Daily Record Apologises to Trust for Hugh Keevins Article

Printed below is an apology from the Daily Record for an article by Hugh Keevins which appeared on Monday 7 August 2006.

In it, Keevins invented ‘quotes’ and gave the false impression that he had spoken to someone from the Trust; an impression which both we and the Daily Record are happy to correct. Link to Record Apology

9 August 2006

RANGERS TRUST

"IN an article on Monday by Hugh Keevins we attributed part of a quote to Rangers Supporters’ Trust spokesperson Stephen Smith which was not made. Mr Smith did speak to the Press Association and it was these quotes which we inaccurately reported. We apologise for the error."

Following on from Keevins’s infamous comparison of Ibrox to Nuremberg on Scotsport in April 2006 and a 2003 incident where he inaccurately quoted former Trust Chairman Colin Glass, the Trust believes that this particular journalist has demonstrated he has a serious problem with accuracy and objectivity when it comes to Rangers and Rangers supporters.

We have confidence that Trust members and the wider Rangers family will draw the appropriate conclusions and we look forward to the day when Hugh Keevins is denied the platform to voice his offensive, biased and inaccurate ramblings.

14 August 2006
CDL/RST Flag Day Announced for Hearts Game

21 August 2006
RST Accuses Neil Lennon of Showing No Remorse for Shameful Behaviour

Responding to Neil Lennon's statement that he "categorically denies" shouting sectarian abuse* at the Rangers support in at Ibrox in November 2004, the Rangers Supporters' Trust stands 100% behind the independent, empirical evidence it gathered **. The Trust expresses disbelief that the player has waited 21 months to make this denial - surely the time for him to challenge our evidence was when we published it?

In returning to this shameful episode in his autobiography, Mr Lennon shows either guilt or a wish to rewrite history. The Trust believes that Neil Lennon should to take responsibility for his actions, apologise and by doing so demonstrate that sectarian behaviour can be tackled if people are prepared to discuss and debate the issues like adults.

Instead, Lennon shows no remorse for his actions. Indeed, his "you should have heard what I said to Alex McLeish and their bench." remark demonstrates a pattern of behaviour that cannot be excused by the actions of others. Lennon's transparent attempt to play the sectarian victim card and (as a UK citizen) portray the abuse he receives as being "racial" undermines the efforts of all those making genuine attempts to tackle racist and sectarian behaviour in football.

* Daily Record, 21 August 2006: "One of the more bizarre interventions came from the normally sensible Rangers Supporters Trust who paid a lip reader to "prove" that I had called the fans "orange b*******" during the game. Leaving aside the fact you didn't need a lip reader to hear thousands of Rangers supporters abusing me, I categorically deny shouting that at their fans.But you should have heard what I said to Alex McLeish and their bench. It was after that game that Martin made a much-publicised remark: that I had been subjected to racial and sectarian abuse. I was being abused for being Irish and Catholic."

** RST Media Release 6 December 2004

"'Supporters Trust positively identifies true culprits from Celtic shame game'

Following distorted and unbalanced accounts of events at Ibrox on Saturday 20th November, and after receiving numerous complaints from Rangers supporters concerning the conduct of Martin O'Neill and Neil Lennon, the Trust has secured the services of an independent lipreading expert to analyse the comments clearly shouted at home fans at the end of the match.

Regrettably, our worst fears have been confirmed, as the lady concerned, who is often called as an expert witness as a forensic lipreader in the English courts, has confirmed that Neil Lennon clearly shouted the phrase "Orange Bastards!" at the home support, as well as other abuse directed towards the Rangers bench.

At a time when both The Scottish Executive, and the media seem determined to stamp out religious bigotry from Scottish society, the fact that such a high profile Celtic player shouted such obscenities at the home fans at the end of an eventful match, after other colleagues had also lost their discipline, and particularly in full view of a large live television audience certainly warrants further investigation. The Trust finds it difficult to understand why this incident, witnessed by so many people at the game, and even more on television, has been ignored by the media and now believes that an investigation by the Police, possible reference to the Procurator Fiscal, certainly an unequivocal condemnation from Nil by Mouth, an investigation by the Press Complaints Commission into unbalanced reporting of the whole affair, a charge by the SFA of bringing the game into disrepute, and, most importantly, a full apology from the culprit are all appropriate actions following such misconduct."

23 August 2006
Trust AGM Reminder

Can all our members please note this year's AGM will take place on Saturday 09 September in Partick Burgh Halls from 10.30am (for a 11am start) till 1pm (Rangers play Falkirk at Ibrox that day KO: 3pm).

All Members will be sent a formal notification containing an Agenda, and a set of independently audited Trust Accounts, by post at least 14 days in advance, and the meeting will only be open to Members who have paid their subscriptions for 2006/07, upon production of their membership cards.

However you can both renew and join on the day. We do ask though, that if you are taking this option that you arrive early to allow us to process your renewal/application.

If any current member has any questions or motions they'd like to raise in advance of the meeting please contact us through the site.