RANGERS fan group the Union Bears have blasted the Ibrox board for their decision to take part in a friendly match with Celtic in Australia.

The fan group made their feelings known to the club's board with a message at McDiarmid Park for their game with St Johnstone last night.

A banner at the front of the away stand read: "Money over morals. No derby friendlies."

Now the group have backed up their message with a further statement in which they have revealed that they are going ahead with a 150th-anniversary display, despite the decision by the club.

It read: “We are disgusted to learn that our club have plans to take part in a friendly over in Australia against our biggest rivals, though not entirely shocked given the recent over-commercialisation of the club.

“We made our feelings clear last night and will continue to oppose this match for as long as necessary - taking whatever actions we feel are required.

“Over the past few months, we as a group have been working tirelessly to create a tifo to celebrate our club's 150th anniversary.

"This has taken hundreds of man hours and cost thousands of pounds, which was raised by the Rangers support. The news of this despicable friendly had made us reconsider our plans - how can we have a day of celebration while this is hanging over our heads?

“After much discussion over the past 24 hours, we have came to the decision that the tifo will go ahead despite the disappointment, anger and frustration we currently have towards those from the club behind this narrow minded, cash driven decision.

“The tifo is not being done for men in a boardroom with no real emotional attachment to our club, it's being done for us as fans to celebrate 150 years of our magnificent football club.

“Board members will come and go but the one major consistency at Rangers will always be the supporters. We'd ask all fans inside Ibrox on Saturday to take part in the tifo - no matter your feelings towards the disgusting decision that the board has made.

“This tifo is for the four lads that had a dream, it's for our players and managers who have contributed to the club's success but most importantly - Saturday’s tifo is for the fans past & present who have stood by the club through thick and thin.

“So let's not allow them the board to take away more from us than they already have.

“Our club, not theirs!”