31 May 2004
NARSA Convention in Bramalea, Canada, opens this week

The North American Rangers Supporters Association's annual convention takes place from Thursday-Sunday of this week, with the highlight being their Gala Dinner on Saturday night. Quite a few Trust Members are attending, including Board Members David Tweed and Gordon Sutherland. We have placed the advert below in the Convention programme, and wish all our fellow Rangers fans attending this salubrious event, a memorable time.

UK residents can, of course, enjoy these same benefits for just £10 a year, due to the lower administration costs which we incur.

27 May 2004
Online Membership Renewal Available Now

Following some swift technical jiggery-pokery, the Trust are pleased to announce that existing members may now renew their membership online. We also have provision for those who wish to take advantage of our lifetime membership offer. Please visit the join page, we welcome you on board!

24 May 2004
David Murray interview to be broadcast on real radio this Thursday

Thursday night from 6pm onwards features a fairly lengthy interview between Ewen Cameron and Rangers Hon Chairman, David Murray. The RST Board have already accepted an invitation for a spokesman to attend the Real Radio studios on Thursday to give first hand analysis of the interview, and its implications for all Rangers supporters, but most especially Trust members.

20 May 2004
"The Advocaat Years" competition - winners announced

There were 15 correct entries to this contest, who correctly stated that in the season when Rangers WON EVERY League game, the number of goals conceded was just 18. The following three winning entries were selected at random by the Trust Chairman to receive a copy of this new book.

John Gibb, Dumbarton
Bert Archibald, Tullibody
Christine Sommerville, Coatbridge

Well done to all those who answered correctly, and if any other member wishes to order a copy of this book, you can indirectly benefit the Trust by doing so - our feature of 22 April 2004 (see below) gives full details.

14 May 2004
Trust Membership Renewal Notices All Sent Out

Would RST members please note that ALL renewal notices have been sent out, and should have reached the four corners of the globe by now. If anyone hasn`t received a Trust annual renewal form by now, can they please contact us at iain@rangerssupporterstrust.co.uk or gordon@rangerssupporterstrust.co.uk and we will make sure one is sent to you immediately. Those members who have already joined for more than one year will be contacted in the next few weeks, and enclosed will be an RST pen and badge. Those members who have already renewed will receive their RST badges in the next few weeks. Thanks to all those who have already re-joined, and also to those who are in the process of doing so.

It`s appreciated.

The Renewal Committee.

13 May 2004
Sun man confirms no offence was meant by Wilton headline

A representative from the RST today contacted Steve Wolstencroft, Sports Editor of The Sun in connection with Saturday's insensitive and tasteless headline 'Last Rangers manager to lose six league games in a row to Celtic ended up drowned in the Clyde'. Regardless of the content of the story, this headline was widely interpreted as an amusing joke on the price to be paid for failure in Old Firm games. In fact Mr Wilton drowned in an accident off Gourock, and his body was never recovered. This tragedy shocked the entire Rangers family, and had nothing whatsoever to do with his results against Celtic. That this headline was cleared by someone within News International is very sad indeed. It is not funny, and at best is shoddy opportunism and at worst could be seen as a crude example of Rangers bashing. The RST would rather lose every Old Firm game until the end of time than see a manager lose his life, and a family lose a father, brother, husband. We ask all our members to think carefully about this headline and their response to it when they choose their morning tabloid, especially in the light of their refusal to take the opportunity to publish an apology.

06 May 2004
Trust AGM - date and venue announced

We are pleased to announce that this will take place on Saturday 17 July in Partick Burgh Halls, where we had our Launch Meeting just 13 months ago, just as the team were marching on towards a world record breaking 50th League Championship. We had hoped to host this meeting on the day of a home game, but in view of the Club's insistence of our submitting 100 signatures (all of whom have a minimum of £100 worth of shares) a full six weeks in advance of their AGM - which they only need to announce three weeks in advance! - we need to have the AGM at that time. We would hope that by the time the 2005 AGM comes round, there is no need for us to hold it in July, but return to hosting it to coincide with a home match. 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 2004/05, upon production of their signed membership cards. Meantime, we hope this advance notice assists members with diary planning.

06 May 2004
Last renewal notices now issued

The Renewals sub-committee offer their sincere apologies to the 200 members of the Trust whose renewal forms were delayed due to technical difficulties. These should now arrive no later than Monday 10 May for all our UK members, and during next week for our overseas members. We have already taken steps to ensure that we do not encounter similar delays in 2005.

06 May 2004
Midweek traffic havoc to continue throughout next season

Following correspondence we had with the Roads Department of Glasgow City Council last year, they have kindly alerted us in advance to a major programme of reconstruction to the Clyde Tunnel, which will adversely effect every evening game at Ibrox next season. In order to minimise disruption to the 80,000 daily users of the Tunnel, they will be carrying out their work programme every night, starting at 7pm, with the northbound tunnel closing until November, and then the southbound tunnel closing immediately thereafter. In both cases, a contraflow system will operate in the open tunnel, and the off ramps leading to both Whiteinch and Govan will also be closed. We shall be formally approaching the Club asking them to liaise with the Council (as a major business rates payer) to have the work delayed by four hours, until 11pm, each night there is a home match at Ibrox.