Worse than the last lot? Rangers’ new owners winning few friends | OneFootball

Rangers fans prayed for salvation when the 49ers arrived, but the reality has quickly turned sour. The promise of change has become another disappointment. Supporters believed the club would finally be run with vision and ambition. Instead, future AGMs have been scrapped and Russell Martin remains publicly backed despite growing anger. The dream of fresh leadership has curdled into the nightmare of another dire regime. Rangers fans deserved better, but they are now stuck with an ownership that looks even worse than what came before amid 49ers and Rangers.

The myth of salvation

Every takeover gets hailed as the dawn of a new era. Rangers fans thought this one would finally restore credibility and football focus. The words about transparency and dialogue sounded good. Yet those words have proved empty. Scrapping AGMs is not progress, it is regression. Supporters cannot hold anyone accountable if there is no platform to demand answers. The current hierarchy is not listening to those who live and breathe the club. Rangers fans are left betrayed once more, wondering how they fell for the myth of salvation.

Martin backed and fans ignored

Russell Martin continues to receive public backing from the board. Results and performances tell a different story, yet the message never changes. That stance sends a clear message to Rangers fans: their views do not matter. The board talks about the Fan Advisory Board but ignores it when pressure rises. If Rangers lose, the support sees it as further proof of the manager’s failings. Yet the leadership repeats the same lines, shielding him from accountability. The gap between boardroom and terraces grows wider each week. Even Rangers’ market value figures were hailed as progress but mean little when fans are ignored.

Worse than what came before

The previous regime had many flaws, but at least there was some accountability. Fans could ask questions at AGMs, and while answers were evasive, they existed. Now even that thin layer of transparency has been ripped away. Rangers are run more like a faceless corporation than a football club. The Guardian recently highlighted the growing corporate grip on Ibrox. Capitalism rules over tradition, identity, and supporters. Rangers fans are not shareholders in spirit, they are the heartbeat of the club. To ignore them is to erode what makes Rangers unique. Reuters reported the completion of the takeover, yet the tone was all business, not football. Financial Times analysis showed more focus on money than meaning. The 49ers have given the impression they care more about profit than progress. That is the stark reality, and it feels worse than what came before. 49ers and Rangers.

Rangers prayed for change, but all they got was another dire regime. The board backs Martin, ignores fans, and abolishes AGMs. This is not the revolution supporters wanted, it is just capitalism in its most ruthless form.