I applaud the honesty of committed fans when they go public on a position they must surely know will invite harsh criticism from the Rangers `til I die brigade.
Like most, if not all Rangers supporters, I want to see Ibrox expanded and regularly sold out, but I can fully understand why some veteran supporters are intent on ignoring season ticket renewal notices for 2009/2010.
It`s a lifetime commitment being a Rangers fan, but some supporters are less inclined than ever before to regularly consummate their passion for the club when their devotion to it is unrequited.
The constant nagging by the club is beginning to grate on some of us, and the frequent lectures from Sir David Murray and his cohorts about how we should conduct ourselves are insulting and infuriating.
The unutterable boredom served up by a management team whose loyalty to negativity is mystifying doesn`t help either, and increasingly there are times when one feels the need to rationalise why the Ibrox endurance experience is regularly undertaken.
For tens of thousands of Rangers supporters, it is a chore watching the team. They may deny it, but when the final whistle is greeted by 10,000 witnesses, sometimes less, when nearly 50,000 have been present, there`s clearly something amiss.
Why should a mature adult risk his career by regularly turning up at a place where his money is welcome - but not him? Why should a sensible adult attend a place where stewards and police can pick off whichever face doesn`t fit that day; to evict, arrest and maybe wreak havoc on a promising career?
Why should a modest personal income contribute to the well-being of a regime at the club which grudgingly tolerates supporters rather than enthusiastically welcoming them?
Knee-jerk criticism of Rangers fans who have gone public with their confessions is out of order. Some of the veterans will already have attended more games than a decent percentage of younger fans ever will, and contributed substantially along the way to delivering the club this far on history`s long road.
There are few things more painful in life than unrequited love, and it is this unpleasant experience which is troubling a growing number of Rangers supporters. Eventually, self-respect and common-sense dictate that it`s time to move on.
There will never be another allegiance for the committed Rangers fan, but the intimacy of his long-standing relationship will be replaced by a platonic understanding from afar; a safe distance from the oppression, authoritarianism and boredom which infests the modern-day Ibrox Park.
The Rangers `til I die gang will doubtless continue to pour scorn on fans who have been worn down by an Ibrox regime which has long since outlived its usefulness, but it`s doubtful if the majority can even boast of being Rangers `til the final whistle.
When a Rangers supporter of golden wedding longevity walks away, we should all examine the reasons why - as a matter of urgency.
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