Rangers deputy chairman John Bennet vows not to take fans for granted and adds supporters 'own the club'

Rangers deputy chairman John Bennett has told supporters that they “own the club” as he vowed never to take them for granted.

In an exclusive interview with Rangers TV he also praised the progress the club has made in the last two and a half years but said the 4-0 defeats to Celtic and Ajax earlier this month were ‘unacceptable’.

On the power of the fans, who he called the “lifeblood” of the club, he cited the reaction to the European Super League as proof that it is supporters who call the shots at the end of the day.

The Rangers board has come in for some criticism in recent weeks starting with what was seen as a failure to strengthen the playing squad following Champions League qualification.

Consecutive heavy defeats to Celtic, Ajax and Napoli only heightened the levels of unhappiness amongst the support, but Bennett said that has to expected at a club where “you are only as good as your last pass”.

He said: “We must accept we will be challenged by our own support and rightly so. They are the lifeblood, that’s who really owns this club.

“I was very struck by English Premier League fans and their reaction in certain clubs to that whole Super League stuff. That told the owners of those clubs who really owns the club.

“I’m a part owner of Rangers but I’m every bit as much an owner of Rangers as a fan, a supporter, as I am somebody who happens to own some shares. Never will we take them for granted.

“That’s why I’m annoyed at some valid, valid criticism, observations, that our communication with our fans hasn’t been good enough recently. Let’s fix that. They own the club, they’re the lifeblood. It’s not just a phrase, they own the club.”

He also defended the recent record and the improvements the club have made in the last two and a half years with a league title, Scottish Cup win, Europa League final and Champions League qualification.

He said: “Going back two and a bit years, if you had told me those would be the achievements of this football club, is there a Rangers fan out there who wouldn’t bite your hand off for that?

“We have had two performances recently that have been unacceptable.

“The game against Napoli was a Rangers performance, it wasn’t the result we want for Rangers, but it was a Rangers performance.

“I watched a Rangers team against Napoli, but I would suggest to you I never watched a Rangers team in Amsterdam or the game before that.

“They were not Rangers performances and why the manager and others have deemed it as unacceptable.

“But we can’t dwell on it, we need to fix it and I see the football department doing everything in their power to fix it.”