Rangers fans set for Ibrox protest against Sports Direct chief Mike Ashley

Ibrox chairman Dave King revealed on Thursday that the Gers board had served notice to cancel the merchandise contracts that are in place with Ashley’s firm.

Light Blues supporters have staged a number of high-profile protests against the Newcastle United chairman as they boycott Sports Direct stores and official Rangers merchandise.

The Sons of Struth will gather at the Ibrox Megastore ahead of the Killie clash this afternoon, while further demonstrations are also set to be held during the game.

Tensions have once again increased in the wake of a series of legal moves recently and SoS chief Craig Houston hopes Gers fans will make the most of a chance to show their anger at controversial Ibrox shareholder Ashley.

He told SportTimes: “We have been planning to do a protest at this match for some time because it is televised.

“But the things that have come out in the last week have galvanised the feelings against Ashley.

“The club have basically said that this is a terrible deal, which is the first time the club have said anything officially about it on the website.

“We can now justifiably say to Rangers fans that the board don’t even want the deal. We have never been able to say that before.

“Unfortunately we only need to look down south to Newcastle United, who are possibly in an even worse situation than we are now. We could at least get rid of our old board.

“At Newcastle, it seems to be that when the club is not doing great, the fans have got a voice.

“When they get a run of results, they quieten down. We have to learn from that and keep making our voice heard.”

In his statement to supporters on Thursday, King vowed that he and Rangers will continue to stand up to Ashley as the Ibrox board seek ‘compensation for the poor commercial and business practices that the Club has been forced to endure’.

The Sports Direct owner dropped High Court legal proceedings against Rangers this week as he decided not to pursue litigation relating to an alleged gagging order breach.

Many supporters have vowed to continue to refuse to hand over their cash for official merchandise until the board strike a new deal that would increase retail revenue for Rangers.

And Houston insists fans can play their part in the push for change as they prepare to highlight Ashley’s unwanted Ibrox influence once again.

He said: “When we go up to the Premiership, we will be starting off probably £3-4million behind our nearest rivals in merchandise income alone.

“It is a massive problem. We can’t start from that position.

“It is a strain on the club financially and it needs to be sorted. So we can’t rest until it is sorted.

“If it takes seven years, it takes seven years. I hope the timescale will be drastically shorter.

“The fans have a voice and we need to use it and not let up. We keep reminding everyone every day that we get 45p for every £10 spent in the club shop and it is not good.

“You are better buying an extra ticket for a game or Rangers lotto tickets. There is more money going into the club through those products than the merchandise.

“It is topical and it is in people’s minds after the court action this week and Mr King’s statement on Thursday.

“I am sure it will be at the front of Rangers fans’ minds. We can go and protest and show our displeasure and then support our team in an important cup tie.”