Towards the end of last year, controversy and intrigue were struck when it was announced that James Traynor would be taking up the role of Head of Communications at Ibrox.
It was met with a mixture of scoffing from those in the media, and many looked down their nose at the decision. Many Rangers fans, however, greeted the decision with interest and excitement following the way in which Traynor exited the Daily Record, penning perhaps the staunchest defence of Rangers over the whole fiasco of 2012. Traynor entered the fray in January earning an alleged healthy wage for doing so, and roughly a month on; the reaction to his impact is now mixed. Our Head of Communications has given us a few very different blog pieces for the official website on reconstruction and the “side contracts” case, which have been given praise by those looking for defence of the club. Traynor has also appeared on various radio shows to discuss the future of the club, and it is widely accepted he speaks with an air of sanity and rationale.
However, as the saying goes, “talk is cheap”.
Over the past few days, the club has been subject to rumours of an alleged petition for a “winding-up order” over two unpaid bills to a company based in Singapore, Orlit Enterprises. This news was then stumbled upon by Channel 4’s, Alex Thomson, who clumsily published a blog based on a rumour, without a comment from either Rangers or Orlit. Following this, Traynor sent out a statement claiming that the matter was dealt with, and it was “unworthy of further comment”. Some grumblings sounded over why the story was allowed to reach Thomson without being dealt with, but it was allowed to slip. Today, the matter has unbelievably been allowed to rumble on, with BBC claiming that there has been no agreement reached between the two parties. The article was littered with “no comments” and it is extremely inconclusive, but it does have one wondering why this story is still circulating.
Yesterday, Traynor made a rather dismissive, rushed statement that was simply there to appease the fans, and as far as I can see, it did not bring an end to the matter for any journalist out there, as the BBC has shown today. Although I am quite certain that this will end up as something of a non-story, it does not mean the club have sufficiently dealt with it. From where I am standing, this story should have been stamped down upon yesterday. Although Thomson has to be questioned for the way in which he went about his business, this does not mean that the response from the club is adequate, and it has left the “open season” nature upon the club wide open. Traynor has made it quite clear that the “internet bampots” are of very little relevance to him, but this should not be the case. Although I do not expect Traynor to come out and question every blogger with a rumour, when the case reaches a media outlet like Channel 4, and a journalist with questionable ethics, the issue should be stamped upon – not addressed in a half-hearted manner. The internet poses some of the greatest problems for the club at the moment, with many queuing up to take their shot at the club. This has to be addressed.
Now, some may say my approach to this has been naive, as I do not know what is going on behind the scenes on the matter, but it is undoubtedly frustrating to the average fan. Rangers are a club who are less than a year removed from the worst financial crisis of their existence. The club survived by their skin of their teeth, but are currently way off full recovery, and are still at the start of a long road to reach such a level. The club has been backed all season by a set of fans that are fresh from a scalding by a previous owner who conned each and every fan who holds the club close to their heart. We are a matter of months into the Green era and these rumours are not healthy – no matter how inaccurate or exaggerated they are. The fans need to be convinced that the club is not facing a relapse as yesterday has shown a story can come from the smallest mumbling of a rumour. The supporters are still rightfully cautious and should still be asking the questions, and a story like this does not help. Traynor and co. need to realise they work for a club that is being held under a microscope at the moment. Everyone is there to have a look – some are there to watch in amazement, and some are there to watch with mischievous and hate-filled intentions. Every story related to the club is also held under the microscope for examination. This is one problem that could easily have been averted, but the matter has now manifested its way into the Scottish press, and will undoubtedly simply serve for further scare-mongering and rabble-rousing.
From where I am standing, the PR department has failed us on this matter. This matter could, and should, have been stamped down upon. When Traynor came in, I said it was time to start building the “backbone” of the club. This is still possible, but until matters are dealt with a more firm approach there is no backbone and it leaves the fans as the ones who have to fire-fight for the club as open season continues.
The fans deserve better, Jim. Please don’t let us down in the future.
garrycarmody 
Ask plenty o questions