If the questions relate to parking, pies and points, of the MyGers variety, then the latest Rangers AGM will unfold as expected. In that scenario, it will be another opportunity missed for shareholders and supporters to hold certain members of the Ibrox board to account.

These meetings are so often spoken about several months in advance and given a big billing by punters that vow to go armed with pertinent queries and serious concerns. More often than not, it turns out to be a non-event as directors deflect the probing examinations from the floor and promise action on the general concerns about the media and merchandise. Words, of course, always speak louder.

On Thursday afternoon, the RIFC plc board will face their investors and their customers once again. Here, the Rangers Review looks at what will be and what should be on the agenda.

The Resolutions on the ballot paper

There are seven Ordinary Resolutions for shareholders to vote on this time around. Numbers one, five and six are housekeeping matters regarding the accounts and the auditors, while Resolution Seven will, if approved, give the board the ability to allot equity securities up to an aggregate nominal amount of £447,248 per annum. All are expected to pass.

Resolution Four sees interim chairman John Gilligan put himself forward for reappointment to the board. Given his standing amongst the supporters and the selfless and tireless shift he has put in since being asked to replace John Bennett, it would be a surprise if there are many who vote against Gilligan.

The numbers for George Taylor and Julian Wolhardt could be interesting, though. Both are long-standing members of a board that have come in for criticism from the support of late and this could be viewed as a protest vote of sorts. The other members of the hierarchy – Alistair Johnston, Graeme Park and John Halsted – were reappointed at the 2023 AGM and are not up for election this term. Nobody will lose their seat.

Registration opens at 10.30am at the SEC Armadillo and the AGM is scheduled to start at 12.00pm. Once the votes have been cast and the nuts and bolts have been taken care of, questions will be taken from the floor. Will the opportunity to properly question those on the stage be utilised? Time will tell.

Assessing the ‘sack the board’ stance

There is anger and apathy amongst the support at present. During the draw with Dundee United, the Union Bears chanted that Rangers was ‘in the wrong hands’. The board have been accused of mismanagement and ineptitude and the decibel level has risen amid a plethora of problems on and off the pitch.

Wide scale protests that could effect change have yet to materialise, however, and it remains to be seen if enough supporters would mobilise to force resignations from the top table. The Parks, former chairman Douglas and son Graeme, are perhaps the two most high-profile figures that fans have in their sights at present.

Dave King previously told the Rangers Review that change was needed at Ibrox. As he knows, that is easier said than done. The AGM offers a chance for proper, pointed questions to be put to directors who say nothing in public and that feel unaccountable and unanswerable to those that travel near and far. What are their intentions and what do they bring to the table? Quite simply, each director should be making a pitch for their position.

The financial support that the likes of Taylor, Wolhardt and Halsted have provided should be appreciated by fans. But that does not give those figures a free pass and it cannot be argued that Rangers have operated in an efficient and successful way over recent seasons. Funding Rangers and running Rangers are very different things and supporters are entitled to hear, and should demand, detailed plans for the future of the club from those who wear the jacket and tie.

How will the board and executive team look going forward?

The Rangers Review revealed last month that Patrick Stewart, the former interim CEO of Manchester United, was to be appointed as the new chief executive officer at Ibrox. Within days, Rangers had confirmed the move and announced that Stewart will take up his post on December 16, a date that sparked some debate amongst supporters. Speaking ahead of the tie in Nice, Philippe Clement confirmed he had already held initial discussions with Stewart, whose arrival comes several months after James Bisgrove quit to move to Saudi Arabia.

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Bennett stepped down as chairman weeks later and was replaced by Gilligan. The Rangers Review revealed the departure of Creag Robertson and it was confirmed in November that Nils Koppen had been promoted to the role of technical director. A move for a sporting director figure is not off the table and an update on the executive structure is a non-negotiable on Thursday. Rangers are still operating without a permanent head of academy.

The Rangers Review reported on Tuesday evening that Malcolm Offord is unlikely to be the man to succeed Bennett as chairman. The Greenock businessman - who carries the title Lord Offord of Garvel in the House of Lords and is a former Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department of Business and Trade - was the front-runner to land the top job at Ibrox. An appointment is still expected in the coming weeks and sources are confident that a high-calibre individual will take on the position as Gilligan, who has been assisted by George Letham in recent months, prepares for the transfer of power to a new figurehead.

Rangers need fresh drive, vision and impetus at board and executive level. As the old faces fight for their futures, the new ones must be given the scope to take Rangers forward on and off the park. It is understood that Stewart will be given that freedom. The investors cannot be allowed to be backseat drivers any longer.

Clement’s future, transfers and trophies

Second is last in Glasgow as they say. To be sitting third in the Premiership is, then, completely and utterly unacceptable for Rangers. Clement finds himself under significant pressure as a result of too many performances and results that haven’t been at the required level. Talk of the rebuild, a young squad and progress has started to annoy rather than inspire a support that have been less than impressed with the recruitment and the first months of the campaign.

The board face a defining call on Clement. Do they back him or sack him? Do they invest in him during the January window or look for another new boss? The cycle of changing managers must end. But that doesn't mean that Rangers can or should stick with one if they believe he is not the right man.

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Clement faces a tough task and events over the next month – with a series of must-win Premiership matches, the visit of Tottenham Hotspur and two Old Firm fixtures - will determine his future and his standing amongst the support. He could face some forthright views from the floor and should be braced for that situation.

Rangers cannot be accused of not spending money of late. They are damned by the strike rate, though, and how funds have been used is a glaring issue. The expanded portfolio for Koppen was not sought after by the fans and must be explained. A scouting blueprint is required, as is an action plan to end a crippling injury list that drains Rangers in football and financial terms.

Any other business?

Yes. And plenty of it. The shambles of the Copland project seems like a good place to start and the fans will rightly demand answers regarding a farcical start to the campaign. The costs of a move to Hampden have yet to be made public and will surely be a topic of discussion.

The financial situation must be addressed. Rangers posted a loss of more than £17million for the last reporting period as the failures in the transfer market were laid bare. The wage bill that was bloated and certainly not value for money was reduced over the summer as Clement’s squad was reprofiled.  A record revenue of almost £90million was one of the few positives.

As stated above, Rangers have been good at spending cash for some time now. Too often they have thrown good money after bad, however, and such a model is unsustainable going forward. Investors must stop having to fund their own costly mistakes.

The loss for the last financial year included a one-off payment to Elite, of around £4million, to settle a long-standing legal dispute. For the first time in a decade, Rangers are not embroiled in Court action. The merchandise arrangement with Castore will no doubt be on the AGM agenda.

Once all of that is taken care of, then it is time for the more mundane questions. Step forward the issues of safe standing, away allocations and, yes, pies, parking and MyGers points.