Rangers To Be Given South Stand

[nosferatu]

Being happy to take the short term cash instead of looking at the bigger picture has ruined Scottish football.

Back in 2012 we had the chance to kill off the Old Firm forever. We had the chance to create a genuinely competitive Scottish football league.

Had the brand new Sevco club been denied admission then Celtic would have withered away. FFS, look what's happened simply without Rangers on the top flight.

The sort of folk who aare happy to hand over the South Stand are the reason we didn't kill off the Old Firm for good.

I have hardly been to a game since 2012 and this is the final straw for me. I wont ever be back to another game.

Scottish football is no more competitive than wrestling. Its fixed.

The happy clappy South Standers who have backed handing the stand to animals can enjoy their day of bigotry and hatred. You are ruining Scottish football.

Hang your heads in shame.

Edited March 19, 2016 by nosferatu

[faraway saint]

Being happy to take the short term cash instead of looking at the bigger picture has ruined Scottish football.

Back in 2012 we had the chance to kill off the Old Firm forever. We had the chance to create a genuinely competitive Scottish football league.

Had the brand new Sevco club been denied admission then Celtic would have withered away. FFS, look what's happened simply without Rangers on the top flight.

The sort of folk who aare happy to hand over the South Stand are the reason we didn't kill off the Old Firm for good.

I have hardly been to a game since 2012 and this is the final straw for me. I wont ever be back to another game.

Scottish football is no more competitive than wrestling. Its fixed.

The happy clappy South Standers who have backed handing the stand to animals can enjoy their day of bigotry and hatred. You are ruining Scottish football.

Hang your heads in shame.

[pozbaird]

Just remembered why I needed a break from reading the forum. Two or three of the same old toasters turning every thread into a 'general nonsense' load of old shite.

[Kendo]

Being happy to take the short term cash instead of looking at the bigger picture has ruined Scottish football.

Back in 2012 we had the chance to kill off the Old Firm forever. We had the chance to create a genuinely competitive Scottish football league.

Had the brand new Sevco club been denied admission then Celtic would have withered away. FFS, look what's happened simply without Rangers on the top flight.

The sort of folk who aare happy to hand over the South Stand are the reason we didn't kill off the Old Firm for good.

I have hardly been to a game since 2012 and this is the final straw for me. I wont ever be back to another game.

Scottish football is no more competitive than wrestling. Its fixed.

The happy clappy South Standers who have backed handing the stand to animals can enjoy their day of bigotry and hatred. You are ruining Scottish football.

Hang your heads in shame.

At least our chairman stood up to the 888 league idea and also tried to change the voting system away from the 10-2 option that suited the O.F.

[Lord Pityme]

For those on the Forum who have not read through the 32 pages on this thread .The Facts are:-

Here is the original statement issued in this forum and social media on Tuesday the 15th March from the Chairman of the Fans Council

I would like to update the forum to state that on behalf of the Fans Council I have spoken with Stewart Gilmour today. The purpose of the call was to offer assistance in making decisions of this magnitude in future. The Fans Council would have preferred an audience with the board to assist in the approach and communication of this difficult financial decision.

Stewart has taken this on board and at the same time shared with me some correspondence that he wrote today personally to a fan that contacted him direct.

I have enclosed this below as I believe it helps give his and the boards perspective on the decision made for the re-allocation of the seats in the Family stand for the Rangers fixture.

Fans Council

On Thursday a club announcement was made following a further discussion with members of the Fans Council that day

As a result of feedback received from our supporters affected by the change in seating at the forthcoming Rangers match, the club has engaged with The St Mirren Fans Council and have taken on board the thoughts and feelings of our supporters.

As a result the affected Season Ticket holders are being offered a £10 reduction on next seasons Season Ticket and will be invited to a special screening of the League Cup winning video at a future date to be confirmed.

The venue will be the new SMFC 1877 supporters club which will open shortly. Players from the cup winning team will be in attendance.

The club wish to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

The Board will always act in the best interests of St Mirren FC and their supporters and hope this gesture demonstrates our commitment to the financial needs of the club and the feelings of our loyal supporters.

We will be contacting the affected supporters directly.

This was a joint announcement from CEO of SMFC and the Chairman of the Fans Council

So The FC "would have liked an opportunity to have an audience with the board to assist in the approach and communication of this difficult financial decision"

Is that suggesting the FC or some members of the FC were involved in coming to the decision with the board to give Rangers two or three stands, but not the communication of the decision?

The best laughs in that statement are seeking an "Audience" with the board...(mind you they may not be royals yet.. Just keen on royal blue) and the other laughable suggestion that cashing in again on the following of one of the two clubs who bring scottish football into disrepute on a weekly basis was "Difficult" for them. That made me chuckle.. Bit like our board's love-in with Chuckles Green!

Edited March 19, 2016 by Lord Pityme

[buddiecat]

Quite a lot of drama queens on here. If you are going to "chuck it" because of this I would suspect you were looking for an excuse to do so anyway.

We have been playing at this stadium for years now and never actually sold it out. It's just common sense to try and fill as many seats as often as possible. The board have a responsibility to maximise our revenue and ensure our survival as a business.

The point I would draw the line is if we were to start allocating away supports more seats than the St Mirren support, but that is not the case here.

This should be repeated for all games we can sell out both ends of the ground. Celtic & Sevco fans should be charged 30 quid entry for the privilege.

Only point is this should be made clear at the start of the season to Family Stand season ticket holders, who should be given a nice Main Stand seat when shifted.

Fair points regarding pre-warning fans about possible disruption, then they have a choice. There are not too many people saying they are not going back, anyway that is their choice, i agree though that some people will already have made the decision to stop going and will use any excuse, just don't think there are a significant number of them posting on here.

[jimmy boo]

Being happy to take the short term cash instead of looking at the bigger picture has ruined Scottish football.

Back in 2012 we had the chance to kill off the Old Firm forever. We had the chance to create a genuinely competitive Scottish football league.

Had the brand new Sevco club been denied admission then Celtic would have withered away. FFS, look what's happened simply without Rangers on the top flight.

The sort of folk who aare happy to hand over the South Stand are the reason we didn't kill off the Old Firm for good.

I have hardly been to a game since 2012 and this is the final straw for me. I wont ever be back to another game.

Scottish football is no more competitive than wrestling. Its fixed.

The happy clappy South Standers who have backed handing the stand to animals can enjoy their day of bigotry and hatred. You are ruining Scottish football.

Hang your heads in shame.

Goodbye then....

[Lord Pityme]

Heard the FC have made the difficult financial decision to let Rangers fans have three sides of the private bar on the last day of the season. Well done FC in being so "inclusive" and welcoming those chaps into your bosom.

Remember to put some rugs down so they dont scrape their knuckles on the hard floor, and have your supply of sand buckets and fire extinguishers ready to tackle the flares.

[oaksoft]

Just remembered why I needed a break from reading the forum. Two or three of the same old toasters turning every thread into a 'general nonsense' load of old shite.

In fairness it has been some time since you made a positive contribution to any thread on here.

I cant rcall the last time you werent on here verbally abusing someone or having a whine about almost everything.

This works both ways.

[proudtobeabuddy]

If it wasn't a big deal to give them the North and South stands then why did the board feel the need to apologise and offer a sensational 10 quid off a season ticket!! There aren't many drama queens on here saying they won't be back but there will be a fair few giving this game a miss, many being season ticket holders. Great end to a shite season and fantastic send off for Thommo!

[Stuart Dickson]

At least our chairman stood up to the 888 league idea.

No he didnt. That was the set up he tried to sell to everyone in the boardroom 4 years ago

[Isle Of Bute Saint]

Morally bankrupt for a few dollars more.

I reckon there's a few of the non drama queens who accept this "because of the money"

won't go near Ibrox because of the Rangers matchday experience of bile, intolerance & hatred & bigotry.

How f**king cheap are we that St Mirren whore's its family stand" for a couple of few dollars more.

What's done is done, I look forward to the post match posts from the non drama queens declaring what a fine day they've had.

How confident are you right now that everything will be hunky dory & this has been a storm in a Bovril cup?

have been to ibrox many times to support Saints in recent years have experienced nothing that I found personally abusive yes they have bigoted songs on that I see them as narrow minded . Have experienced worse abuse going through to Edinburgh to watch Saints Hearts. For me as said before its about supporting my team no matter where. There is nothing better than going to the ugly sister's and your team comes away with a result. If some of us were to sit on the board there might be a better understanding how difficult it is to make a budget work with our expectations . Edited March 19, 2016 by Isle Of Bute Saint

[stlucifer]

have been to ibrox many times to support Saints in recent years have experienced nothing that I found personally abusive yes they have bigoted songs on that I see them as narrow minded . Have experienced worse abuse going through to Edinburgh to watch Saints Hearts. For me as said before its about supporting my team no matter where. There is nothing better than going to the ugly sister's and your team comes away with a result. If some of us were to sit on the board there might be a better understanding how difficult it is to make a budget work with our expectations .

To use an idiom. It cannot be easy trying to square the circle at a club like Saint Mirren. But the board have a duty to the supporters and to use such short term vision at an establishment of which they are, in their own words, merely custodians while dragging it's reputation down is totally and utterly the wrong thing to do. Make no mistake. We are being laughed at in all corners. By selling the STs as they did they made a commitment to the purchasers that that would be the seats they were GUARANTEED. They have now proven themselves, and by reflection, the club as liars.

For the sake of a paltry sum which could quite possibly be negated if the affected current supporters, and a few more, (and I have decided for definite I'll be one of them), decide to simply pay when they feel like attending.

Where's the point in showing loyalty when it's not reciprocated if there's a couple of bob to be eked out for ONE game?

[pozbaird]

In fairness it has been some time since you made a positive contribution to any thread on here.

I cant rcall the last time you werent on here verbally abusing someone or having a whine about almost everything.

This works both ways.

The oracle has spoken. Cheers for the input. I'll take it on board.

Edit. No I won't actually. I'll ignore your input, with pleasure.

Edited March 19, 2016 by pozbaird

[Isle Of Bute Saint]

To use an idiom. It cannot be easy trying to square the circle at a club like Saint Mirren. But the board have a duty to the supporters and to use such short term vision at an establishment of which they are, in their own words, merely custodians while dragging it's reputation down is totally and utterly the wrong thing to do. Make no mistake. We are being laughed at in all corners. By selling the STs as they did they made a commitment to the purchasers that that would be the seats they were GUARANTEED. They have now proven themselves, and by reflection, the club as liars.

For the sake of a paltry sum which could quite possibly be negated if the affected current supporters, and a few more, (and I have decided for definite I'll be one of them), decide to simply pay when they feel like attending.

Where's the point in showing loyalty when it's not reciprocated if there's a couple of bob to be eked out for ONE game?

Dont agree with your point , however I respect your view.

[stlucifer]

Dont agree with your point , however I respect your view.

OI! Stop the respectful disagreeing. What happened to good old fashioned abuse?

[faraway saint]

OI! Stop the respectful disagreeing. What happened to good old fashioned abuse?

Shut it ya fud........................

[Kombi Buddie]

Easy to say but you're not trying to balance the books.

Very.

this has nothing to do with balancing the books.

I seem to recall the justification was the extra would go to the playing budget next season.

Personally, I am a firm believer in cutting the cloth & living within your means.

If I was trying to balance the books, I wouldn't be relying on whoring my club to either Rangers or Celtic & I most certainly wouldn't partake in f**king such an important element of the fan base off.

football in Scotland is morally bankrupt.

St Mirren aren't the only club willing to bend over for Glasgow's gruesome twosome but that doesn't make it any easier to take when our BoD decide to whore the club for a few extra quid.

anyways, I look forward to the posts {as I said} of the post match postings of what an enjoyable day was had & how everything went fine.

I shan't hold my breath though.

Edited March 19, 2016 by Kombi Buddie

[Stuart Dickson]

football in Scotland is morally bankrupt.

St Mirren aren't the only club willing to bend over for Glasgow's gruesome twosome but that doesn't make it any easier to take when our BoD decide to whore the club for a few extra quid.

First off Kombi - I totally agree with you. Football in Scotland is morally bankrupt. And you are absolutely right that St Mirren aren't the only club willing to move their fans to accommodate "Rangers" supporters. Clubs like Albion Rovers, Brechin City, Clyde and a number of others wiped out their debts completely by doing exactly that. The two home matches each one of those clubs had against "Rangers" in those years have no doubt secured their futures and given those clubs and opportunity to start again with a clean slate.

You know me. I'm hugely critical of the board of directors usually, but I find it pretty strange that St Mirren fans were prepared to hold their nose while these same people on the Board of Directors tried desperately to persuade St Mirren fans that the established method of dealing with a liquidated club - Gretna, Airdrieonians and Third Lanark - was to be waived to help "Rangers" back to the top level as quickly as possible. Yet those same fans want the board hung drawn and quartered for upgrading the seats of some fans to an area with better views and higher ticket prices to try to fill the stadium with football fans on the day of the game whilst keeping some semblance of segregation inside the stadium.

Having got away with his shameful lambasting of SFL Chairmen over their decision to allow "Rangers" to be admitted to the league at bottom tier level instead of his preferred top or second tier level it's little wonder Gilmour thinks he can get away with anything he wants at the club.

Edited March 19, 2016 by Stuart Dickson

[woiiftm]

If buying a season ticket no longer guarantees you your seat then what is the point?

Me and my daughter bought ours to be guaranteed a specific seat which she wanted and which she seen as her own!

Could we assume that once back in the BIG league, then if a BIGGER club wants more seats we'll all be shuffled about to accommodate?

Keep season tickets but now do away with guaranteed seats would be the only way for the club not to lie to their supporters.

Deeply disappointed in the way the club have targeted the kids.

[scottd]

Perhaps if some of the outraged 'ahm no gaun' brigade turned up on a more regular basis then we wouldn't have to accept bigoted money to balance the books. Fully expect to be rounded on for this comment but I don't care.

[Stuart Dickson]

If buying a season ticket no longer guarantees you your seat then what is the point?

Me and my daughter bought ours to be guaranteed a specific seat which she wanted and which she seen as her own!

Could we assume that once back in the BIG league, then if a BIGGER club wants more seats we'll all be shuffled about to accommodate?

Keep season tickets but now do away with guaranteed seats would be the only way for the club not to lie to their supporters.

Deeply disappointed in the way the club have targeted the kids.

Surely "the point" is you are getting a per game discount by paying upfront. The idea that you "own" a seat is just absurd and it's something football clubs should never have gotten into. Just look at how many seats these days are "reserved" at Paisley that lie empty every single home match. How many season ticket holders actually sit in their reserved seat? The situation is so ridiculous that if a season ticket holder happens to bring along a friend for a one off match, or he has a friend who is pay as you go, they have to vacate their reserved seat to sit together.

Of course this season St Mirren made matters even worse by poorly managing a well meaning give away that meant any adult season ticket holder could get a free one for someone (or something) under the age of 12. I know of several season ticket holders who took up the offer for seats next to theirs in the stand just so they could get some extra space for themselves. A few I know bought tickets for their pet animals.

This reserved seat nonsense isn't even traditional in football. Before all seater stands your season ticket simply covered your admission. There were no stickers placed on the terrace to reserve your standing spot and had anyone suggested that as an idea they'd have been laughed out of the club so quite why our clubs chose to create this absurd spectacle is beyond me.

[Kombi Buddie]

First off Kombi - I totally agree with you. Football in Scotland is morally bankrupt. And you are absolutely right that St Mirren aren't the only club willing to move their fans to accommodate "Rangers" supporters. Clubs like Albion Rovers, Brechin City, Clyde and a number of others wiped out their debts completely by doing exactly that. The two home matches each one of those clubs had against "Rangers" in those years have no doubt secured their futures and given those clubs and opportunity to start again with a clean slate.

I understand why clubs do it but it sticks in my craw that clubs in Scotland have to stoop so low.

I have a mate who is/was heavily involved with Albion Rovers and know how much effort has been put into keeping them going.

We are hardly in the same boat though, after all we've got money to pay off ex Managers etc.

anyways, not a situation I like for the club I support.

I'd rather we gave them heehaw tickets but there's not a cat in hell's chance of that happening

[Gordon Urquhart]

Season tickets should cover admission to a stand only.

If you want 'your seat' you need to get there early.....

Allows movement within ground i.e. in the West Stand, which way are we attacking?

Some fans won't like it but you can't please all of the people all of the time.

[jimmy boo]

Surely "the point" is you are getting a per game discount by paying upfront. The idea that you "own" a seat is just absurd and it's something football clubs should never have gotten into. Just look at how many seats these days are "reserved" at Paisley that lie empty every single home match. How many season ticket holders actually sit in their reserved seat? The situation is so ridiculous that if a season ticket holder happens to bring along a friend for a one off match, or he has a friend who is pay as you go, they have to vacate their reserved seat to sit together.

Of course this season St Mirren made matters even worse by poorly managing a well meaning give away that meant any adult season ticket holder could get a free one for someone (or something) under the age of 12. I know of several season ticket holders who took up the offer for seats next to theirs in the stand just so they could get some extra space for themselves. A few I know bought tickets for their pet animals.

This reserved seat nonsense isn't even traditional in football. Before all seater stands your season ticket simply covered your admission. There were no stickers placed on the terrace to reserve your standing spot and had anyone suggested that as an idea they'd have been laughed out of the club so quite why our clubs chose to create this absurd spectacle is beyond me.

Out of all the utter shite i've read from you over the years this takes the biscuit