Rangers respond to Club 1872 about Rugby Park shambles

It's all well and good Kilmarnock accepting responsibility after the fact but when the media spotlight was shining all fingers were pointing towards our fans. Regardless of this admission, due to the immediate reaction to the incident, we will be held responsible for this in the public's mind going forward.

I appreciate that RFC are updating C1872 on the findings of the meeting but this doesn't go far enough to set the public record straight in my opinion.
 
It's all well and good Kilmarnock accepting responsibility after the fact but when the media spotlight was shining all fingers were pointing towards our fans. Regardless of this admission, due to the immediate reaction to the incident, we will be held responsible for this in the public eye going forward.

I appreciate that RFC are updating C1872 on the findings of the meeting but this doesn't go far enough to set the public record straight in my opinion.

It's already being picked up by the mainstream media.
 
Tinfoil hat on here, but it doesn't sit right with me that the club want to identify and punish fans for over exuberance celebrating a last minute winner. Perhaps whataboutery from me,

It's getting far too common, and like the Hibs one at the cup final, I'm quite sure it was a planned action rather than something spontaneous.. No-one should be on the field except those direct;ly involved in the game. And if you can't control your emotions to the extent that you can't stop yourself going onto a football field, I'd suggest you think seriously about going to a match.
 
My only issue with it is that I'd have liked to have seen a comment, while rightfully condemning those fans on the roof of the disabled shelter, making note of the fact that the stucture wasn't fit for purpose and they'd be following that up to ensure that the safety aspects of it for those in the enlosure at the next game (if we're taking tickets) is up to scratch.

If there's a fire in the stand and the exits are blocked and the means to get on the pitch is over that roof area, there are going to be far more than two or three people trying to climb on it. I'd be interested to see what the fire service / safety officer thought at that.
 
It's getting far too common, and like the Hibs one at the cup final, I'm quite sure it was a planned action rather than something spontaneous.. No-one should be on the field except those direct;ly involved in the game. And if you can't control your emotions to the extent that you can't stop yourself going onto a football field, I'd suggest you think seriously about going to a match.
When it comes to Rangers I struggle to control my emotions tbh. I'm not condoning jumping the boards but it happens everywhere. Why do we need to be seen as the leading club to eradicate it?
 
Following a debriefing meeting at Rugby Park at the end of last week, Rangers is happy to provide an update to supporters, who have been calling for clarification on issues arising from the match against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Sunday, August 4.

Looks like this update is only for those of us who were calling for clarification.:cool:
Delighted with this statement, please make this the standard.
 
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this part, am agreeing at same time but we saw 2 tier communication when it came to pitch invasions...its not like the bears ran up field ( hibs did ) to gloat ....just happy fans that we got the win and over celebrated it. Hardly worth the man hunt IMO

Even the disabled sector, no one should be standing on it but it was not intentional to break it or fall through it .
I would have expected a comment on the disabled area re its safety certificate.
Good statement otherwise but does need exposure on the official site.
Rangers should also be contacting the BBC re their correspondents statements, with the proviso that no apology will see them joining the baldy one with removal of press cards.
 
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In essence, due to its negligent turnstile facilities, Rugby Park is unfit for purpose where substantial crowds are concerned. Both Rangers and the media should say so.
 
Yet the usual suspects were on blaming the Board, Stewart Robertson and anyone else who took their fancy, for having the audacity to wait until the debriefing was completed.


The obsession with some folk on here demanding statements, irrespective of enquiry timescales, is pretty weird.
The people we are up against are fighting dirty. That allows them to set the narrative and when we do speak it is easily ignored. Playing by egalitarian rules, no matter how laudable, is getting us nowhere. Plus this not coming through the official website is piss poor. Like the empty statements after the cup final, this will get us nowhere. Too little too late.
 
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We await a full apology from the BBC scumbags who mocked the fact that our fans were being crushed.

I expect they'll squirm their way out of it but should never be allowed to forget that they chose to peddle lies about us due to their blind hatred, instead of recognise a serious public safety issue for what it was.

Same goes for that Kilmarnock fans representative, a former policeman no less.
 
For the most, for the most part I am happy with that, me being one that would want the club to dive headlong into whatever will be the next controversy.

However, working alongside Police Scotland isn't cutting it.

Those two vermin at the SC final, not caring a jot about what was happening around them should be an iconic scene for anyone connected to Rangers.

When we have the first minister applauding Hibs after the carnage within a couple of hours allied to Police Scotland not doing their job, then a couple of youngsters on the roof of a shed isn't remotely on my list of priorities.

Some good there, some not so good..
 
It’s a good statement, however, I would prefer something that said -
Though Rangers cannot condone supporters entering the field of play we recognise that this is a growing trend at spfl matches. We take comfort from the fact that this was almost entirely youthful exuberance to celebrate our late winner.
It was clearly foolish of supporters to climb onto the disabled area roof putting themselves and others supporters at risk. Again this was from the film accidental damage rather than vandalism.
We do notice that similar behaviour has occurred at matches involving other clubs and agree it must now stop.
Hopefully a sensible approach can be taken to mentoring these young fans on their behaviour, they are after all the future lifeblood of our game
 
*Waits for snidey reply from Tom English*

That's exactly what the mealy mouthed lizard lipped lair will do. He'll hide behind some politician speak shite and do all in his power to just avoid saying what he should say - Sorry.

Not unlike his beloved poops, in this respect. Sorry definitely the hardest word for that lot
 
Tinfoil hat on here, but it doesn't sit right with me that the club want to identify and punish fans for over exuberance celebrating a last minute winner. Perhaps whataboutery from me, but did the mentally challengeds do that when they jumped on the disabled hut up at pittodrie, or Hivs at the cup final? Happy with the rest of the statement
I appreciate where you're coming from but do you really want us to act in the manner Hibs and Celtic do? We're,or we should be better than that.
Anyone identified should be given a warning as to their future conduct.
 
Rangers are working with Police Scotland to identify and trace those who crossed the line between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.

This part gets to me, Rangers are assisting PS with their hunt for bears for wild last minute goal celebrations , when others in Scotland did the same and given somewhat different terms for it and .

Not keen on that part at all......but other than that its a good statement regarding Killies failure and usual pundit lies
Agree 100%
 
Kilmarnock’s new ticketing system did indeed fail despite suggestions to the contrary. It has been accepted there was also a failure to deal properly with the problems this caused. There was no recognisable plan of action to deal with such a situation and it was very close to kick off before someone thought the problem, which had started to cause panic among those Rangers supporters, who were being pushed and squeezed together toward the turnstiles, should be brought to the attention of the police

so no one from the polis or our security asked the question in the pre match briefing "what if this new system fails?/what is the contingency for crushing outside"

we've seen this at Ibrox before when the system changes
 
Kilmarnock has accepted their ticketing system failed (and that there had been problems with it at the game against Connahs Quay Nomads) despite one of their directors promoting the irresponsible notion there had been no operational problems. We would hope to receive a retraction and an apology from Kilmarnock for having pointed the finger of blame at Rangers fans for the issues which arose ahead of kick off. Those pundits, particularly two BBC Scotland contributors, Michael Stewart and Tom English, who made flippant and insulting comments without knowing the facts of what actually happened, might also wish to reconsider their comments and apologise now that the debriefing has revealed that a ticketing failure, and not the impatience of Rangers fans, caused the problem before the kick off on Sunday.

Mr Coffey might also wish to reconsider his own words.
 
Email just come through from Club 1872. Rangers have gone for Phyllis McLeish and English and Stewart over the lies about our fans being crushed at Rugby Park.

"Dear Member,

Club 1872 has been in dialogue with Rangers since the events at Rugby Park on Sunday, 4th August which saw hundreds of Rangers supporters placed in a dangerous situation whilst attempting to enter the ground. Following a debrief meeting last Friday, Club 1872 is pleased to share a response from Rangers to enquiries from Club 1872 regarding the events that day.

We know that Rangers remain concerned about safety at Rugby Park and we have been assured that they will continue to liaise with Police Scotland, Kilmarnock FC and East Ayrshire Council ahead of future visits.

"Following a debriefing meeting at Rugby Park at the end of last week, Rangers is happy to provide an update to supporters, who have been calling for clarification on issues arising from the match against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Sunday, August 4.

Rangers felt it appropriate and sensible to wait until after the post-match debriefing session before commenting despite many others, including a Kilmarnock director, Phyllis McLeish, pundits and a politician, William Coffey, making misinformed as well as misleading comments.

However, now that the events of last Sunday have been fully analysed by all parties, we can offer a reasoned and fact-based insight into what happened.

Kilmarnock’s new ticketing system did indeed fail despite suggestions to the contrary. It has been accepted there was also a failure to deal properly with the problems this caused. There was no recognisable plan of action to deal with such a situation and it was very close to kick off before someone thought the problem, which had started to cause panic among those Rangers supporters, who were being pushed and squeezed together toward the turnstiles, should be brought to the attention of the police. By that time some Rangers fans were being crushed and in a state of alarm, and there are many testimonies which bear that out.

Kilmarnock has accepted their ticketing system failed (and that there had been problems with it at the game against Connahs Quay Nomads) despite one of their directors promoting the irresponsible notion there had been no operational problems. We would hope to receive a retraction and an apology from Kilmarnock for having pointed the finger of blame at Rangers fans for the issues which arose ahead of kick off. Those pundits, particularly two BBC Scotland contributors, Michael Stewart and Tom English, who made flippant and insulting comments without knowing the facts of what actually happened, might also wish to reconsider their comments and apologise now that the debriefing has revealed that a ticketing failure, and not the impatience of Rangers fans, caused the problem before the kick off on Sunday.

Mr Coffey might also wish to reconsider his own words.

No one at the debriefing disputed the view that there would not have been congestion and supporters would have gained admission smoothly and safely had the system operated properly. This view is supported by Police Scotland.

Rangers believe it was cthe orrect procedure to wait until after the debriefing, called by East Ayrshire Council’s legal services department, who issue the safety certificate for Rugby Park, before commenting.

Although there has been an attempt to roll everything that happened at Rugby Park into one issue it is important to retain a sense of perspective and balance. The congestion before the match had no bearing on what happened at the end of the game when Rangers fans went on to the pitch to celebrate a late winning goal. Their presence on the pitch cannot be condoned and Rangers are working with Police Scotland to identify and trace those who crossed the line between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.

The same applies to the handful of fans who jumped on to the roof of the enclosure reserved for disabled supporters causing that covering to collapse. Their behaviour endangered the safety of their fellow fans and we are fortunate no one was badly hurt. Those fans will also be dealt with appropriately as soon as they are identified.

Rangers believes the safety of all fans to be paramount and will not tolerate this kind of behaviour whether away or at home."

Club 1872"
They should be demanding an apology and demanding to see the report from East Ayrshire health and safety inspectors who stated Killie's ground had major and urgent issues including the disabled section.

We should also be demanding apologies from Dumb and dumber aka Stewart & English.

As a club we are way to nice
 
You can’t expect Rangers to be rightly up in arms about a crush then be angry about them wanting to prevent people surging forward to get on the pitch. It would be utterly hypocritical.
 
It’s a good statement, however, I would prefer something that said -
Though Rangers cannot condone supporters entering the field of play we recognise that this is a growing trend at spfl matches. We take comfort from the fact that this was almost entirely youthful exuberance to celebrate our late winner.
It was clearly foolish of supporters to climb onto the disabled area roof putting themselves and others supporters at risk. Again this was from the film accidental damage rather than vandalism.
We do notice that similar behaviour has occurred at matches involving other clubs and agree it must now stop.
Hopefully a sensible approach can be taken to mentoring these young fans on their behaviour, they are after all the future lifeblood of our game
SPOT ON
 
They should be demanding an apology and demanding to see the report from East Ayrshire health and safety inspectors who stated Killie's ground had major and urgent issues including the disabled section.

We should also be demanding apologies from Dumb and dumber aka Stewart & English.

As a club we are way to nice
Is that not what they’ve done or is it because they never said the exact words you wanted them to?
 
Rangers are working with Police Scotland to identify and trace those who crossed the line between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.

This part gets to me, Rangers are assisting PS with their hunt for bears for wild last minute goal celebrations , when others in Scotland did the same and given somewhat different terms for it and .

Not keen on that part at all......but other than that its a good statement regarding Killies failure and usual pundit lies

Exactly, are Aberdeen working with the police to track down their fans who entered the pitch following their last minute winner against Hearts or are we getting treated to a different standard yet again?
 
It’s a good statement, however, I would prefer something that said -
Though Rangers cannot condone supporters entering the field of play we recognise that this is a growing trend at spfl matches. We take comfort from the fact that this was almost entirely youthful exuberance to celebrate our late winner.
It was clearly foolish of supporters to climb onto the disabled area roof putting themselves and others supporters at risk. Again this was from the film accidental damage rather than vandalism.
We do notice that similar behaviour has occurred at matches involving other clubs and agree it must now stop.
Hopefully a sensible approach can be taken to mentoring these young fans on their behaviour, they are after all the future lifeblood of our game
Cringe.
 
The Evening Times are running with it, but what picture do they use? The wrecked disabled shelter. Utter twats :mad:
 
Rangers are working with Police Scotland to identify and trace those who crossed the line between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.

This part gets to me, Rangers are assisting PS with their hunt for bears for wild last minute goal celebrations , when others in Scotland did the same and given somewhat different terms for it and .

Not keen on that part at all......but other than that its a good statement regarding Killies failure and usual pundit lies
I couldn't give two hoots what others in Scotland do.
Is it asking too much to go bananas within the stands?

I'm beginning to wonder if these plebs are just wanting to see themselves on the telly.
I'm all for rooting them out.

Getting our own house in order is all that matters to me.
 
Although good to read that the authorities + Kilmarnock FC acknowledge that there was a turnstile system failure, the statement is not strong enough.

As someone who was in that crush, this was not merely a case of ticket holders locked outside. On entering the stadium, 15 minutes after KO I couldn’t even access the stairway to my seat, never mind the seat. That stand was dangerously overcrowded with 3 deep on every passageway. If there had been a need to evacuate then the crush outside would have been nothing to that carnage.

What caused this:
1. Counterfeit tickets?
2. Access allowed with tickets for other stands?
3. Stewards taking cash?

This is the part I disagree with Rangers statement. I believe the overcrowding due to inadequate access security measures did contribute to the small pitch invasion.

This stadium is currently not safe and their safety certificate should be annulled until such time as these points are addressed. Christ, they won’t allow safe standing, this was unsafe standing and you couldn’t sit even if you wanted to.
 
Rangers are working with Police Scotland to identify and trace those who crossed the line between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.

This part gets to me, Rangers are assisting PS with their hunt for bears for wild last minute goal celebrations , when others in Scotland did the same and given somewhat different terms for it and .

Not keen on that part at all......but other than that its a good statement regarding Killies failure and usual pundit lies
It's the right thing to do - I understand that passion sometimes takes over but this kind of behaviour is not only not needed it is damaging to the club. People need to think before they act at the games and if they can't do that then simply they face the consequences of their actions. People should not have been on the field and people should not have been jumping around on the disabled shed - that is regardless of what is going on.
 
Those pundits, particularly two BBC Scotland contributors, Michael Stewart and Tom English, who made flippant and insulting comments without knowing the facts of what actually happened, might also wish to reconsider their comments and apologise now that the debriefing has revealed that a ticketing failure, and not the impatience of Rangers fans, caused the problem before the kick off on Sunday.
they might but they wont
pricks
 
Kilmarnock express 'disappointment' with Rangers after they issue statement before investigation is completed

The Rugby Park side say that it was agreed that no public statements were going to be issued from either club until an investigation into the incidents at Rugby Park last on August 4 had been completed.
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A general view of Rugby Park, home of Kilmarnock FC (Image: SNS Group)
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See our privacy noticeKilmarnock have hit back at Rangers for their statement that was issued via Club 1872, expressing their "disappointment" with the Ibrox side.
The Rugby Park side say that it was agreed that no public statements were going to be issued from either club until an investigation into the incidents at Rugby Park last on August 4 had been completed.
Killie have also denied that there was a system-wide failure of their new ticketing system, claiming any suggestion to the contrary is "inaccurate".
A Kilmarnock statement to the media said: "Kilmarnock Football Club notes with disappointment that Rangers Football Club has issued a statement via Club 1872.

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"It was agreed and understood by all those attending last Friday’s debrief to wait until the investigations had been completed and appropriate actions identified and agreed between both clubs, the ticketing company, Police Scotland and East Ayrshire Council before issuing any public statement. This process remains ongoing.
"A printing issue in relation to a number of tickets in the Chadwick Stand caused a delay in some supporters gaining entry to the stadium. This was not a systemwide failure with the ticketing system and any suggestion to the contrary is inaccurate.

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Rangers fans at Rugby Park (Image: SNS Group)
"Kilmarnock Football Club does not accept that this delay gave Rangers supporters good reason to break through a gate and enter the ground. We had hoped to continue with the constructive approach taken in the meeting last week and had offered to work with Rangers Football Club in advance of future fixtures.
"As Rangers have recognised, problems before the match had no bearing on the incident at the second goal when Rangers supporters entered the field of play and damaged the disabled roof covering to the point of collapse. It was extremely fortunate that no disabled supporters were seriously injured.
"We look forward to Rangers Football Club taking action to identify those responsible and dealing with those fans appropriately.
"As a club that cares about the safety of all supporters, we will continue to work with all parties to conclude our investigation and work to ensure we provide the safest, friendliest and most welcoming football experience we can."
 
I couldn't give two hoots what others in Scotland do.
Is it asking too much to go bananas within the stands?

I'm beginning to wonder if these plebs are just wanting to see themselves on the telly.
I'm all for rooting them out.

Getting our own house in order is all that matters to me.
rooting out bears who enjoyed gaining the first 3 points of the season , blimey your a fun person to be around
 
Tinfoil hat on here, but it doesn't sit right with me that the club want to identify and punish fans for over exuberance celebrating a last minute winner. Perhaps whataboutery from me, but did the mentally challengeds do that when they jumped on the disabled hut up at pittodrie, or Hivs at the cup final? Happy with the rest of the statement

So by your argument the filth never reported child abuse at their club, so we should take a similar stance if the same thing happened at Ibrox because they are morally bankrupt?

This is not about ANYONE else in Scottish football.
This is about Rangers, OUR values and how WE believe WE should conduct ourselves, on and off the pitch.
 
Exactly, are Aberdeen working with the police to track down their fans who entered the pitch following their last minute winner against Hearts or are we getting treated to a different standard yet again?
its stinks of special treatment
 
Exactly, are Aberdeen working with the police to track down their fans who entered the pitch following their last minute winner against Hearts or are we getting treated to a different standard yet again?
Know Celtic aint
 
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