27 May 2016 12:08:46
Like most bears I am delighted with how things are progressing on and off the pitch.
I have been following RFC now for 60 years. My old man took me to my first game in season 54-55 George Young, George Niven et al. I have been to most European countries following the team.
I was at Glasgow Airport in 1962 when team were welcomed back after a very successful tour of old USSR.
I was in Nou Camp in 1972, Manchester where is when I decided never to go to another away or European tie again.
I do not think however I have felt better about team on and off the park as much as I do today.
We have a great board charting a great future, a large fan involvement in 1872, a great management team, bringing through Youth and building a good structure on the pitch, more importantly playing an exciting brand of football.
However there is an elephant in the room that for too long we fans have tolerated, accepted and turned a blind eye too.
There is an element that attach themselves to our club that are viscious, bigoted, violent and unsavoury.
They besmirch our club wherever we go.
They are UKIP/ BNP Britain First on steroids types that most of us would not welcome into our home for a Sunday lunch.
We would not want our daughters or sisters dating far less marrying these mindless morons.
We have to purge them from our club once and for all.
It is true "no one likes us" and if we are truthful how can we blame them, with these nethanderals arriving in towns in and outside Scotland singing and chanting their bile and hatred, urinating in the street and making a general nuisance of themselves
Just as the Tartan Army cleaned up its act and are now welcomed with open arms wherever they go, we need to do the same and get rid of this element
It is not a "tiny minority" either.
IMHO opinion around 20% of those in our support are a disgrace.
They would, and are not accepted into society anywhere else except perhaps sectarian organisations.
Why in 21st Century are we allowing these people to hold our club back?
I am sure some on here won't like to face this reality, however if this club is to get back to the top and command respect we need to earn that respect.
I had hoped after what we have been through some humility and reality would kick in.
Instead it seems the thugs and hooligans were merely biding their time.
27 May 2016 14:27:27
Great post mate couldn't agree more.
27 May 2016 15:09:33
Well said!
27 May 2016 15:17:11
Very fair comments albeit that I cannot comment on whether 20% is a fair estimation since nowadays I don't get to Ibrox that often since I spend most of my time in Texas. What I have noticed however that with the growth of the Scottish Nationalist Party and the large Republican element within its ranks that Society has become more polarised with a lot of British Nationalists siding with Rangers and an increasing large number of Republicans, (with imaginary Irish Roots) , taking sides with Celtic and Hibernian and sadly, the Clubs, especially the Glasgow one strongly supporting this by moving itself ever more closely to the Irish Republic.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could turn the clock bak to the 1950's and to the early 1960's and start over again. Yes Rangers should rid themselves of the nasty minority but right now I fear that more people are becoming radicalised as a result of what appears to be happening in Scotland.
27 May 2016 15:35:16
Scotty whilst I respect your opinion and agree with a lot of it I think to say that 20% of our support are mindless thugs is a bit harsh. The last two flash points we've been involved in (the Motherwell game and the Cup final) were the opposing fans causing the majority of the bother.
Glasgow is a ruff City and it has it's fair share of social and economical problems, coupled in with hundreds of years worth of sectarianism. To say we just allow these people to drag us down is incorrect. Just judging people by their actions whilst drunk at a game is as bad as them judging people by their race/ religion in my opinion. Judging people as a whole is wrong, especially ones you don't even know first hand. In most cases these people have been dragged up themselves, and will in turn bring their own kids up like this, it's a vicious circle.
We should be concentrating on trying to sort out the social problems first and stop the segregation at schools then maybe the future will be different. There is only so much the Club can do.
27 May 2016 15:40:44
politics and religion have nothing to do with football, it's like saying you won't drink Guinness or irn bru because they are irish and Scottish and not British. People need to come out of the dark ages.
27 May 2016 15:56:34
All the posts are a sensible ideal world solution unfortunately we will always have an element in our support and it's made even more magnified really just due to the size of our support, all teams have an element whether they say they have or not especially our friends across the city who deny involvement at all times, i'm not sure what can be done, the cup final shoudve been a fantastic occasion ruined by people fuelled on a lot of different occurances, would it of happened if it wasn't a last minute goal who knows but as soon as i heard the billy boys i knew we would and probably should get punished for it, i love rangers and always will but hate what comes with it and as above politics definately come into it.
27 May 2016 16:34:22
Agree largely with the sentiment here but don't believe anything like 20pc, more like 1-2pc max. We should root these types out and make it clear they shame our club, country and history. Really believe that on the back of the Scottish Cup final aftermath we have moral high ground and an opportunity to develop a v positive image of the club. The "Rangers Army" can support the team with pride, humility, passion and respect.
27 May 2016 16:39:38
I agree . i thought (or hoped ) that after our troubles over last few yrs we would move away from the sectarian element stop singing the songs leave the bitterness to the other mob from the east end . its time the rangers support showed we can move on.
27 May 2016 16:58:16
Sorry fd but I'm with Scotty 52.Are you saying when No Surrender and the Billy Boys are sung at games it's only a few hundred who are singing along, more like several thousand I would say! As Scotty 52 says there are a sizeable minority in the support who let the club down big time.
Liverpool Ger.
27 May 2016 18:27:02
Albertz, I love the comparison with Guinness and Irn Bru, two of my favourite drinks. While I do not know the history of the Barr Family my History Studies have given me a good knowledge of Irish History, Sir Arthur Guinness etc., and I don't think that this would put anyone associated with Rangers off drinking that wonderful porter!
27 May 2016 15:38:57
Time to leave all the baggage behind us! Great post!
27 May 2016 15:39:11
That is the stupidity of it all, what the hell has politics got to do with football team?
Some clown on Twitter today suggesting you cannot be a true Rangers fan if you support the SNP.
I would suggest just like rest of Scotland the majority in our support Vote SNP.
Maybe not as high a percentage as some other clubs but still a majority I would say.
Otherwise the SNP could not command the vote share that it does.
However I go back to my point politics should have nothing to do with football.
Those knuckle draggers it is all about Protestantism, and I bet the vast vast majority have never been near a church except for funerals and christenings.
Their kind of behaviour is not christian, or any religion it is barbaric and frankly unacceptable.
27 May 2016 19:23:22
Liverpool Ger, I don't think the content of the songs is the issue. I don't go back as far as Scotty 52, Neef, Persson, Fergie, Greig and Bud Johnston was my intro vintage. But as far as I can recall the songs we sang then were same as the songs now and included No Surrender and the Billy Boys. No the issue is not the songs but the unacceptable behaviour of a small majority of our fans. for example the guy on Saturday who came on and took a liberty with the young Hibs boy. Sing what you like but learn to behave and represent the club. The comparison with the reformed current positive view of the tartan army is a good one (and they still sing about hating the English and sending them to the sword) . Like I said, we have an opportunity to embark on a journey that celebrates our roots and creates a positive modern image of The Rangers that can be promoted and celebrated as more than a club.
27 May 2016 15:40:17
Very well said scotty 52.
27 May 2016 15:50:50
I agree with everything you said scptty, except the ukip part.
27 May 2016 16:11:06
Recbob the 20% was an IMHO, my point is it is not a "tiny Minority"
We have too many destroying our reputation.
As to Motherwell and Hibs games, two wrongs do not make a right.
On Saturday we had at last a chance to grab the moral high ground instead we had sectarian singing, our fans invading the pitch and partaking in violence .
Nothing, Nothing justifies violence, we should have stayed in our seats and left the job to the police.
Instead now as can be seen on social media the get out is our song book was inflammatory, and we are just as bad because we to added to disturbance and violence on the pitch.
27 May 2016 16:36:26
I went to my first away game in over 10 years at Kilmarnock in the Scottish cup. nearly every song sung that night was a supposed banned song. and not sung by a minority. i then was fortunate enough to go to the semi final and again the full support were singing the Billy boys. i am as staunch a protestant as they come but I am embarrassed by the continual singing of this song and the use of the word fenian.
the simple solution for me is to change the word but I'm afraid the moronic element in our support would never except this. these people do not care what punishment is handed to our club by continually singing songs that are banned. what makes you think they are going to stop now!
27 May 2016 17:20:14
Probably the best post iv read on any of either celtic or rangers rumour sites. No punches pulled, straight to the heart of the matter. I applaud your honest assesment scotty52.
27 May 2016 20:08:02
I know what you meant Scotty, and as I said I agree with a lot of what your saying. I just think it's a bit more complicated to say that all of these people are shaming the Club and are not welcome. Violence is different to singing songs though and cannot be tolerated.
But just because something has been deemed offensive to one person doesn't mean it means the same to another. I'm not condoning it, I just think some people believe in free speech, I certainly do. I don't think any man has the right to tell us what we should and should not say/ sing personally as it is our mouths after all. I would rather make the decision not to sing these songs myself.
I also think that we have the same ratio of morons who cause trouble as any other major Club, not more or less. To say otherwise is splitting hairs in my opinion.
27 May 2016 20:08:02
I know what you meant Scotty, and as I said I agree with a lot of what your saying. I just think it's a bit more complicated to say that all of these people are shaming the Club and are not welcome. Violence is different to singing songs though and cannot be tolerated.
But just because something has been deemed offensive to one person doesn't mean it means the same to another. I'm not condoning it, I just think some people believe in free speech, I certainly do. I don't think any man has the right to tell us what we should and should not say/ sing personally as it is our mouths after all. I would rather make the decision not to sing these songs myself.
I also think that we have the same ratio of morons who cause trouble as any other major Club, not more or less. To say otherwise is splitting hairs in my opinion.
27 May 2016 20:45:49
Scotty you are way off the mark, doubt if the ed will post my reply but nothing wrong with ukip, Nigel is a much better guy than the other mobs
27 May 2016 21:18:53
Tom42, thanks, that's exactly my point.
27 May 2016 21:31:26
Stuzo if you think this was about Nigel Farage or UKIP you have not read properly. I suggest you read again.
28 May 2016 02:00:17
Reading this post and most of the comments has genuinely revitalised my faith in Rangers and the Rangers support. Honest assessments that sum up my feelings entirely. I've supported Rangers fiercely all my life and have never wavered. However in recent years it has been hard not to become slightly disillusioned, not because of the football, but because it's hard as a nationalist not to feel alienated at Ibrox. 100% agree football and politics should be separated but it's hard to see myself sometimes as a common gers fan when majority of songs etc fly in the face of my ideology. Ideally for me I would love to see fans and the club embrace their Scottishness more but fully appreciate the British identity if it comes from a genuine place. Thanks to the original poster.