Rangers fans to ‘boycott’ Ibrox as Hibs visit for League Cup | OneFootball

Rangers fans are preparing to send a brutal message this weekend as ticket uptake for the League Cup clash with Hibs looks alarmingly low. The grim truth is that Rangers fans voting with their feet has become the latest weapon against the club’s refusal to sack Russell Martin. Anger has boiled over and Rangers fans voting with their feet is now the headline story surrounding this League Cup tie. For the first time in years Rangers fans voting with their feet could leave Ibrox with swathes of empty seats and a cold atmosphere.

A growing rebellion

The board have tested the patience of the support for months. Results have collapsed, performances have reeked and Martin has survived every storm. However this League Cup fixture has given the fans a clear opportunity to demonstrate fury in a visible way. A quiet Ibrox against Hibs would scream louder than any banner or chant, exactly as Ibrox Noise recently highlighted.

No more blind loyalty

In the past Rangers supporters filled Ibrox regardless of anger. Walter Smith endured protests yet the ground still sold out. Even during Ally McCoist’s meltdown years fans kept coming. But Russell Martin has broken that bond. The appetite to watch his Rangers is gone and this League Cup tie could prove it beyond doubt. Ibrox Noise put it bluntly that Martin’s Rangers is now a lame duck regime. Some fans are saying openly that they will not attend. Others are passing tickets on. The outcome is the same: thousands of missing voices.

Warning signs for the board

The board have gambled on Martin’s survival and they could now face the consequences. Empty seats speak of lost revenue and lost loyalty. Sponsors notice these things as well. They want Rangers looking powerful and dominant not hollow and fractured. This boycott could ripple far beyond the 90 minutes on the park. It would show that fans still hold the ultimate power, as seen when The Guardian detailed Rangers’ Bruges collapse.

The fact is Rangers fans are tired of false dawns. They have endured enough humiliation in Europe and enough embarrassment domestically. The League Cup fixture against Hibs should have been a raucous night under the lights. Instead it could turn into the most visual sign yet that the bond between board and support has collapsed, just as The Guardian covered after the Panathinaikos defeat.

Rangers cannot thrive when the stands are empty. The board must act or risk a slide into deeper chaos. Fans will only pay for passion and belief. Right now Russell Martin inspires neither, a truth echoed when The Guardian reminded readers of his Premier League failings.