When rumours circulated social media regarding a prospective trip to Sydney for the inaugural Old Firm away from Scottish soil, it provoked a strong reaction.

Despite it being reported as fact by journalists in Australia, there was still disbelief that this could actually be happening. When Celtic announced they were playing in a tournament in Sydney, alarm bells really started to ring. The worst fears were then confirmed as WS Wanderers announced overnight that Rangers were also part of this four team tournament.

While Celtic were proactive in being the first to announce it, Rangers’ silence has been deafening and feels like a reaction to the negative strength of feeling that's being displayed on social media. By agreeing to this, the board appear to have made a huge misstep.

Celtic were able to make the initial announcement because they have a positive slant to go along with it. “Ange’s homecoming”, it has been coined. While their support may also share the disdain of a friendly between the two sides in Australia, they can at least understand why the club would agree to it and be happy for their manager.

The Australian A-league then followed up with the same notion - “Ange is coming home” was the headline in their announcement. The fixture itself is secondary to the manager returning to Australia.

This was always going to be the case and it's concerning that Rangers could not see this before agreeing to it. Celtic have made their feelings very clear about Rangers. At Celtic's most recent AGM, board member Brian Wilson was forced to apologise for suggesting Rangers were "demoted". The incredulity at a throwaway remark shows how poor the relationship is between the two clubs and a mutual agreement to play in a friendly tournament together is baffling. 

An Old Firm abroad where both sides are equal billing and have a mutual, unspoken respect may still be received poorly, but Rangers look foolish in agreeing to become essentially a support act in Postecoglou’s return to Australia.

Rangers fans are fiercely proud of the club’s identity and authenticity in amongst the corporate PR overload in modern football so this decision toys with the foundation of everything fans hold dear.

READ MORE: Allan McGregor criticism is nonsense says Ibrox mentor

In an era where passion can be bought by the highest bidder, the rawness of football in Glasgow stands out as unique in the UK and further afield. You only need to look at the English Premier League to see where going down this route leads teams. While taking rivalries abroad and over-exposing brands leads to an increase in revenue, it is no coincidence that the passion has died at a similar rate to bank balances increasing.

Rangers fans want to see Champions League football and an effective player trading model to get the club on an equal footing and to increase income. However, squeezing cash from any source possible to boost finances is a step too far for this supporter. Whatever the income is from this venture, the support seems unanimous in its belief that it is not worth chipping away at what makes Rangers Football Club unique.

Income at any cost will only lead to the alienation of the club’s primary source of revenue: 46,000 season ticket holders. Is a trip Down Under really worth threatening that relationship between club and fan?

The Rangers board have badly misjudged how the support would react to this news, which is concerning given so many in positions of power at the club are fans themselves. The club will be forever indebted to those that entered the boardroom in 2015 to start cleaning up the mess of previous owners and put together a side that could win the league again. However, scrutiny of board decisions will always be at the heart of fan thinking and sentimentality and goodwill is not infinite.

The only way the Rangers board can fix this in the short term is by admitting the mistake and backing out, which seems unlikely.

Whatever happens, this is likely to galvanise the support: what makes Rangers Football Club unique is not for sale. What separates us from English football is not a commodity and cannot be commercialised.

The quicker Rangers realise this and start to build bridges, the sooner fans can move on from this sorry episode.