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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Ewan Paton

John Bennett holds Rangers talks with fan group Club 1872

Rangers chairman John Bennett has met with supporter group Club 1872, it has been confirmed.

The organisation has revealed that the Gers chief met for a two-hour face-to-face with members.

The shareholders and fan group were left disillusioned by former chair Douglas Park.

However, in a statement, Club 1872 say they were left "encouraged" by their meeting with Bennett, where various concerns were raised.

Amid a current overhaul behind the scenes with the likes of Park, Ross Wilson, Stewart Robertson and Andrew Dickson all departing, the fan group revealed details of their conversation with Bennett .

A group statement reads: "Yesterday, Club 1872 held a meeting with new Rangers Chairman, John Bennett in London. This was the first meeting between Club 1872 and a current RIFC Director since March 2020 and we were very encouraged that Mr Bennett took the time to meet with us so early in his Chairmanship.

"We have been on public record since last year regarding our serious concerns over the day-to-day management and general direction of the club. Yesterday’s meeting presented Club 1872 with our first opportunity in three years to bring a number of those concerns directly to the attention of the RIFC Board.

"The purpose of the meeting was to have an introductory discussion addressing historical issues, including the circumstances leading to the club’s disengagement from dialogue with Club 1872 and other areas of concern to Club 1872 Contributors and the wider support. It was agreed by both parties that this should be done with a view to moving forward together for the benefit of Rangers.

"During the meeting, which lasted over two hours, Mr Bennett was willing and eager to listen to Club 1872’s views and in turn he explained the club’s perspective on various issues. In that regard it was a very useful exchange of views.

"We were extremely encouraged by Mr Bennett’s openness and willingness to listen. One point which emerged from the meeting is that Mr Bennett clearly believes that actions speak louder than words. It has been clear from recent announcements that there are major changes underway at Ibrox.

"We welcome those changes along with Mr Bennett’s demonstration in our meeting of his commitment to meaningful, two-way fan engagement. Mr Bennett made it clear that he regards our organisation and strong supporter representation as an important aspect of the future development of the Club.

"We hope and believe that the Chairman found our lengthy discussion useful, including the information we presented to him relating to the club’s engagement with Club 1872 and the Rangers support generally and how that might be improved.

"Both parties agreed that continued dialogue is essential and will quickly progress into more detailed discussion over the coming weeks."

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