The three reasons Rangers fans have fallen out of love with the Scotland national team

I still want Scotland to win, but I despise the SFA and have no time for the Rangers hating Nationalist arseholes who make up the vocal majority of the Tartan Army.

Still think that they shouldn't stop me from supporting the national team who I've watched since I was tiny.

Spot on.
 
What did we do in the 70’s and 80’s when it was happening.i have been to one Scotland v England game in 1980 and I was in the rangers end at hampden and you couldn’t hear GSTQ being played it was being booed that loudly and it was immediately followed by the singing of flower of Scotland which started in the rangers end.a lot of the Scotland supporters around me were talking about being in the same spot they had been a couple of weeks before at the hampden riot at the end of the Scottish cup final .
Back then, it was more of a football rivalry and booing englands national anthem as it was at the time.

The change for me was when a girl I worked next to, took her son to the scotland v northern Ireland friendly and it was booed big time with plenty abuse thrown in. She was a Rangers fan and decided that night, she was finished going to see them.

I didnt go to many games, but the ones I did I enjoyed. My problem is now, I couldnt be next to people who openly boo our players for no other reason that they play for Rangers. Throw in the political situation we're in, then it's not for me. If I was next to someone with a yes flag, I would be thinking along the lines of turning it into a noose.

I have nothing against the team, it's not their fault and I hope they do well, but I wouldn't contemplate being in the company that attends scotland games.
 
I don't know anyone who is "buzzing."

I think it might have been different if it was held in one country. Visiting fans and all that. Party atmosphere. This is just like qualifiers to me.

No buzzing that I can hear.

People are entitled to support or not support. I was next to a table full of tims in a beer garden the other day. Most weren't supporting Scotland. They weren't buzzing either.
I'm certainly buzzing for the start of the Euros. What football fan wouldn't be? A month of wall to wall football ffs.
 
I regularly went to Scotland games - during the mid 70's into the early 80's & enjoyed it (home & away)
Wembley every 2nd year was always a real event to look forward to

Scotland fans of that era were IMO very similar to fans you'd get at Ibrox every other week

I'm not entirely sure of all the reasons I stopped going to Scotland matches- but working away from home contributed
So I didn't go near another Scotland match till against my better judgement- I got dragged along to the Emirates in 2011 when my son & his mates had a spare ticket

The difference in the fans from the 80's to the 2010's was unbelievable IMO
I'm sure many fan bases changed in that time with the prawn sandwich brigade creeping into clubs - but this was beyond recognisable

The number of absolute fannies - in fancy dress (I'm not referring to kilts) with competitions for the longest pheasant feather, bunnetts with ginger syrups, rubber dildos, plastic blow-up highland cattle & depictions of nessie & haggis - certainly embarrassed me

The names of these people really should have been a give-away
When I grew up Hamish & Gavin was considered posh
So when this lot were shouting to each other with names like Hector, Blaine, Lyle & Nairn - I suffered a sort of culture shock
( I dare say that's probably down to my own limited experience or shortcomings)

Most of them didn't pay any attention to the game & often tried to start up songs & chants at completely inappropriate times during the game
Most of the conversations between Hector & the rest were about what top restaurants they were going to attempt to eat at after the game

I won't condone violence in any form
But on the very few occasions things boiled over during a Wembley visit in the 70's - you could always rely on other Scots fans for 'haunners' or back up
If you relied on the 2011 crowd - you were in for a battering

I dare say my experience isn't typical or applicable to all Scotland games or fans now - nevertheless I'll be reluctant to return anytime soon
Funnily enough I know some Northern Ireland fans who are passionate about the NI team but feel that the NI support has been taken over by middle class student types.
 
We are winning on the park domestically and at a canter. Sadly though the nationalists have made it impossible for many of us to follow the national side. I know what I’m like I couldn’t hold my tongue if some nat was giving it big licks with a yes banner at a game. I’d end up lifted for giving someone a hiding or getting done in myself. I’d imagine most who don’t follow Scotland because of this reason feel the same.
Yes I know what you are saying, they make it hard to support our own country. The temptation to attack the cretins in the Scottish support is a strong one but they are the ones in the wrong and time will correct this wrong.
They are jealous of our club and their only hope of victory is to weaken us, they are incapable of matching where we are and that’s why their media and SFA govern body is their only hope. We have beat them on that front also and when more young Scottish players shine at our club the cretins will have to support the national team full of our players and shut the f-up.
 
I'm certainly buzzing for the start of the Euros. What football fan wouldn't be? A month of wall to wall football ffs.


I don't buzz for any kind of football. I'm selective like most people

I don't buzz for Scottish lower leagues, or the English Championship, or the South American Championship. I've got access to European league football on TV, and I seldom watch it.

I like the Premier League and Champions League.

It's a testimony to Scotland's attraction for me, that I'm not buzzing. I'll watch it.
 
Funnily enough I know some Northern Ireland fans who are passionate about the NI team but feel that the NI support has been taken over by middle class student types.
I remember years ago, davie provan wrote in the paper about how the tartan army were made up of, accountants from Perth and lawyers from Inverness or vice versa.

Never disagreed with that at the time and if anything it's got worse.
 
Funnily enough I know some Northern Ireland fans who are passionate about the NI team but feel that the NI support has been taken over by middle class student types.

This is probably true to some extent, but I don’t know anyone who supports NI any less because of it.

It coincided with the team being much improved, full houses at every game, and a far better atmosphere, so that probably helped.

I can remember crowds of barely 6,000 at Windsor in the 90s, I doubt anyone wants to get back to that.
 
The whole Duncan Ferguson thing done it for me. In the last few years Scotland national team has just become the national division of beast fc.
Then little things like sfc boycotting gazza for the hall of fame etc shows they are just a bitter and twisted organisation out the protect one rancid club.
Hope they get pumped 5-0 every game and the tartan fannies that support them and boo rangers players are in tears.
 
I got a ban on the old site, years ago, for wishing a defeat on Scotland. One of the admin staff at that time had the strapline, 'Fuck the biased and corrupt SFA."

My opinion hasn't changed.

Maybe my opinion of Scotland (the nation) will go back to its previous state when Scotland (the electorate) cures the source of the disease.

It'll take a lot longer to restore my support for Scotland (the football team), bearing the badge of the organisation who watched my club nearly go out of existence - and loved every minute of it.
 
I don't buzz for any kind of football. I'm selective like most people

I don't buzz for Scottish lower leagues, or the English Championship, or the South American Championship. I've got access to European league football on TV, and I seldom watch it.

I like the Premier League and Champions League.

It's a testimony to Scotland's attraction for me, that I'm not buzzing. I'll watch it.
A touch joyless, but fair enough.
 
This is probably true to some extent, but I don’t know anyone who supports NI any less because of it.

It coincided with the team being much improved, full houses at every game, and a far better atmosphere, so that probably helped.

I can remember crowds of barely 6,000 at Windsor in the 90s, I doubt anyone wants to get back to that.
Absolutely they love watching NI and are still passionate about the team.
 
I was in Spain in 1982 and the local bar were we were staying was filled with Rangers supporters singing party songs. Changed days.
 
Each to their own but I couldn’t bring myself to cheers on Celtic players,I have never been interested in Scotland or any international football.I just hope none of our players get injuries and get back fit.
 
It has nothing to do with the lack of Rangers players in the squad. Pure and simply it's all due to the fact that the club and fanbase has been treated appallingly by the rest of Scottish football fans, the Tartan Army, because of the political climate in Scotland at this moment in time and it has been so since 2012 and thereafter 2014.

Because of the SNP pushing the Nationalist agenda there has been a hatred of all things Unionist in Scotland by those who oppose that view, which has turned into a very poisonous situation for the fanbase, mainly because we are a Unionist support.It makes it very uncomfortable for any bluenoses at Scotland games these days. It's all political, nothing to do with the lack of Rangers players in the team.

I'm not denying that there is a political element to it but why should we give up the national team to the Republicans and Nationalists. I'll never give up on it. If Walter Smith was the manager with 7-8 Rangers players in the squad like it was in the mid 2000s there is no way you and many others would feel as strongly.
 
The events leading up to George square and the subsequent hypocrisy have made it very hard to support the national team.

Added to the fact that we are actively hated in the corridors of the SFA doesn't help.

Personally the thought of shitler crowing if we do well gives me the dry boak. Particularly when she's probably going to pap everything under tighter restrictions when it's over. I'd rather we go quickly into the night.
 
I'm not denying that there is a political element to it but why should we give up the national team to the Republicans and Nationalists. I'll never give up on it. If Walter Smith was the manager with 7-8 Rangers players in the squad like it was in the mid 2000s there is no way you and many others would feel as strongly.
That was then, this is now and we are where we are as regards the political attitude towards Unionists, Rangers F.C. and the fanbase. Also if the situation was the same when Smith was the manager, rest assured my outlook and opinion would be as it is at this present time. It would make no difference to me as to who the manager would be, whether it was Smith or whoever with the hatred towards the fanbase being as it is
 
I hate this attitude that because I’m a Rangers supporter, I must be a certain religion, or vote a certain way or have a certain view of the Scottish National team. I’m my own person with my own thoughts, as is every other Rangers supporter. I support Scotland because my Grandad had the attitude of “Always Rangers and Scotland”, he passed that attitude down to my Dad and then he did to me. If a few members of the Scotland crowd want to boo a Rangers player, then it’s them with the problem, not me. I won’t let people like that stop me from supporting my country. I do understand why people see things differently though and I would never say one way is right and the other wrong.
 
For me when they started booing our players it was game over - and it wasn’t a few as the poster above suggested. I‘m not in the slightest interested in them as a footballing side. Also any success will be used politically by the SNP - so I hope they get destroyed early in the tournament for that reason.
 
There is a whole myriad of reasons for me - our treatment in 2012 (I will never forgive or forget), the rise of Nationalism and it's Tartan Army Stormtroopers, too many mentally challengeds in the team, they aren't very good and I have little interest in football out with Rangers as I get older.

Supporting a team based on a lottery of which patch of earth you're born on is also daft in my opinion.
 
It has nothing to do with the lack of Rangers players in the squad. Pure and simply it's all due to the fact that the club and fanbase has been treated appallingly by the rest of Scottish football fans, the Tartan Army, because of the political climate in Scotland at this moment in time and it has been so since 2012 and thereafter 2014.

Because of the SNP pushing the Nationalist agenda there has been a hatred of all things Unionist in Scotland by those who oppose that view, which has turned into a very poisonous situation for the fanbase, mainly because we are a Unionist support.It makes it very uncomfortable for any bluenoses at Scotland games these days. It's all political, nothing to do with the lack of Rangers players in the team.
Il readily admit the travelling scotland fans include some haters but to say its very uncomfortable for bears is stretching it miles. Ive a mouth and can readily give out as much as i take. There are 15/20 of us who travel together and about a quarter are bears with another quarter bear friendly.. Tells you its not very uncomfortable at all.
 
We'll take our national team back just like we took the league back. Time for these imposters to get tae %^*& back under their rocks and stfu.
 
Il readily admit the travelling scotland fans include some haters but to say its very uncomfortable for bears is stretching it miles. Ive a mouth and can readily give out as much as i take. There are 15/20 of us who travel together and about a quarter are bears with another quarter bear friendly.. Tells you its not very uncomfortable at all.
It's not just some haters though. There is ,imo, a hatred towards Rangers F.C. the Rangers fans and Unionists by a large percentage of those that attend Scotland games, mainly through an upsurge in Nationalistic support. Saying it's uncomfortable may not be the right wording but i'd rather not be part of a support where a large number are antagonistic towards everything Rangers and Unionist.
If they're going to support Scotland by all means they should but just maybe they should leave out their political hatred to a certain football club and fanbase
 
Steve Clarke is a Rangers-hating wank who fills his teams with other Rangers-hating wanks.
Always knew Clarke was a rattler but gave him the benefit of the doubt because he was doing well with killie and seemed to be a football man rather that a paid up member of the shark tossing hordes.

That all changed however when he publicly played the victim card when leathered at Ibroz in the cup replay and also his embarrassing " Bye Bye Rangers" at the end of that season. Now I detest the alky bastard and wish him the very worst in all he does.
 
I started to go off the national team in the late 80s. I went to a couple of games after a 10 year break and the fan demographic had changed. There was a number of loud mouth Rangers haters. I was at the WC play off v Australia and a couple of guys, one was definitely a Tim and the other was an East coaster, had been slagging Cooper all night. When he scored there was a good number got stuck into them, so there was still a big, if quiet, Rangers support there.
The attitude of the SFA to Sourness and Rangers put me off.
I also got fed up with the style of play under Roxburgh and Brown. It was play not to lose. It was excruciating, even if they qualified for tournaments.
I also think the attitude to Rangers players has been poor, Gough hung out to dry at Italia 90, McCoist always seemed to get not picked and should have been in France 98, Robertson, boozegate. And of course 2012.
I will likely only watch the England game in the Euros, the others will be awful.
 
I'm just disappointed that those embarrassing Tartan Army clowns weren't drawn in the same Group as Russia because they'd have been guaranteed a long overdue shellacking by their fans.

Screw the SFA's team, my main concern is that all Rangers players come through the competition unscathed.
 
The Scotland national team support was once heavily made-up of Rangers fans but that relationship has deteriorated over the past 30 years.


By
Jeff Holmes
  • 08:49, 8 JUN 2021
  • UPDATED09:20, 8 JUN 2021

'One man scores four; four men score one!’

The headline stuck out like a sore thumb; those big black letters grabbing my attention.

Scotland had thumped Cyprus 8-0 at Hampden in a World Cup qualifying match. It was May, 1969, and Colin Stein, who had recently joined Rangers for a record-breaking fee of £100,000, had bagged four.

He was already my hero, but now I had to share him with everyone else. Stein’s team-mates, John Greig and Willie Henderson were also on the score sheet.

I was almost nine, and it was my first international. The crowd was 40,000 strong, but I was among friends. My dad and older brother might have supported Patrick Thistle, but I was an apprentice bluenose, and the majority of the Hampden crowd that day were time-served Rangers fans.

The thought of a Rangers player in dark blue being booed, or the majority of Gers’ supporters turning their back on the national team would’ve been unthinkable back then; sacrilege, almost.

But that’s what I, and thousands more like me, have done. I still look forward to all the major tournaments, like the Euros, but I won’t be cheering on any country in particular this time.

So how did we get to this point? Perhaps we can rewind to the mid-1980s, when Graeme Souness lured England internationals like Terry Butcher and Chris Woods to Ibrox. Whenever these guys represented their country there was a whole host of Bears tuning in. But the majority of Rangers supporters still followed Scotland.


When the Geordie genius Gazza joined Rangers in 1995, a few more made the switch from the dark blue of Scotland to the iconic white top of England. It didn’t help when Mr Gascoigne made a complete fool of Colin Hendry and Andy Goram at Euro 96.

In 1994, the SFA had done something similar to Rangers striker Duncan Ferguson when they whacked him with an unprecedented 12-game ban for a ‘phantom’ headbutt on Raith Rovers player John McStay. It was a disgraceful punishment and Big Dunc refused to play for Scotland after that.

For me, though, the dam burst in 2012. The SFA put the boot into Rangers when the club was on its knees; when we needed help from our governing body, and that help was nowhere to be seen.

Our club was a mess. We’re the first to admit it, but the way we were treated was appalling.

Throughout my life I’ve always tried to follow examples set by those who conduct themselves in a dignified and respectful manner.

One man I had the utmost respect for was the late Sandy Jardine. He talked, we listened. He was the constant who stood up to those who wanted to beat our club with a stick – and, believe me, there were many.

We expected the canned vitriol from the other member clubs, even though Rangers – more than any other club in the history of Scottish football - has been there at the drop of a hat to bail out those who had fallen on hard times.

But that benevolence was nowhere to be seen when we needed it. When Sandy Jardine threatened to hand back his SFA Hall of Fame award due to the crippling sanctions imposed by the governing body, the gulf in relations between my club and the SFA was as wide as the River Clyde. Anti-SFA chants at Ibrox became the norm.

The 2014 Scottish referendum polarised our beautiful country even further. It was like those old school dances, with boys on one side of the hall and girls on the other. It was time to choose your side.

We’ve had Lee Wallace, Ian Black and Ryan Jack all barracked by Scotland supporters while on international duty for what one can only assume was due to their allegiance with Rangers.

Back in the day, when I was a regular at Scotland games, as far as I can remember there was little club tribalism on show.

We really all were united by a common cause, and that was to see Scotland come out on top, but I’ve a strong feeling those days are gone now, and in the past they shall remain.
The majority of Rangers fans moved away from supporting Rangers long before 2012. I still follow Scotland but there is an undertone of hating Rangers amongst the provincial clubs, I would say that started about 1986 and was in full flow around the 9 in a row season. This transferred to the tartan army and made it unpleasant to attend at times. Also Ian Ferguson being booed was a low point.
 
This is not a uniquely Scottish thing.A hell of a lot English football fans hate international football too.
International football has been replaced by the champions league and the europa league as being more important or relevant to fans.
I'm Scottish,I want us to do well but I draw the line at booing Rangers players or as happened when we celebrated winning 55 we where called barbaric,anti Irish bigots by the anti Rangers mob in the media and by nationalist politicians.I as a Rangers fan have nothing in common with these arseholes.
 
Sorry I get that we were badly treated, which we were. But I cannot deny the land of my birth. Rangers and Scotland, that’s me, it has a ring to it, it has always been so.

Rangers supporters born in Scotland supporting England, vastly exaggerated, nor can I understand it. I do not know any.

I also feel having Nathan Paterson, Billy Gilmour and, of course, John McLaughlin in the Euro Squad helps.
They do exist. They think it makes them more 'staunch'.

It's utterly tragic.
 
Come on Scotland.
I was born and bred in Scotland and no-one or nothing will stop me supporting Scotland.
I genuinely feel sorry for the folks who are missing out on supporting Scotland during the Euros.
Clarke is doing a pretty good job he’s fashioned a defence out of very little and is introducing young players too.
I’m delighted for Patterson what an incredible opportunity for the lad. Fully deserved too.

That's your choice and I don't see anybody forcing you to do differently.
Personally I love Scotland and being Scottish and want Scotland and Scots to succeed in everything...apart from fitba.
I detest the SFA and its a big GFY to all others clubs.
 
They do exist. They think it makes them more 'staunch'.

It's utterly tragic.
It's not utterly tragic, it may also have been attributed to the fact that a great deal of our players during the 9 in a row era were English, and played for England.?
Were we expected to boo Gaza, Woods, Butcher, Wilkins, Steven, etc because they wore an England shirt one Saturday, whilst cheering them on when they wore a Rangers shirt?
They were the same players, and not ogres, because they wore an England shirt.
That together with the fact that Scottish Rangers players were roundly booed by the Tartan Army, made it even more likely that some Rangers fans took to supporting England.
I wouldn't say I was more staunch, it's my right to support any team I choose.
 
This is not a uniquely Scottish thing.A hell of a lot English football fans hate international football too.
International football has been replaced by the champions league and the europa league as being more important or relevant to fans.
I'm Scottish,I want us to do well but I draw the line at booing Rangers players or as happened when we celebrated winning 55 we where called barbaric,anti Irish bigots by the anti Rangers mob in the media and by nationalist politicians.I as a Rangers fan have nothing in common with these arseholes.
But your equating English fans hating the actual game to the Tranny Army booing a player because his parent club is Rangers

can anyone show me proof of English fans booing one of their players because of the team they played for?
 
It's not utterly tragic, it may also have been attributed to the fact that a great deal of our players during the 9 in a row era were English, and played for England.?
Were we expected to boo Gaza, Woods, Butcher, Wilkins, Steven, etc because they wore an England shirt one Saturday, whilst cheering them on when they wore a Rangers shirt?
They were the same players, and not ogres, because they wore an England shirt.
That together with the fact that Scottish Rangers players were roundly booed by the Tartan Army, made it even more likely that some Rangers fans took to supporting England.
I wouldn't say I was more staunch, it's my right to support any team I choose.
This is 2021. No Rangers players play for England now.

So why would a Scottish person support them?

It's no different to a Scottish Celtic supporter choosing to support the Republic of Ireland over Scotland. That is also tragic.
 
This is 2021. No Rangers players play for England now.

So why would a Scottish person support them?

It's no different to a Scottish Celtic supporter choosing to support the Republic of Ireland over Scotland. That is also tragic.
Difference being mate, ROI is not part of the U.K., England is.

So there is a big difference.

Half of my family are "English", I worked in England for the last 20 years or so, I can support whoever I choose, as already stated.

You may think it's tragic, but it's absolutely not.

It's a personal preference.
 
It was the Duncan Ferguson incident for me that turned me away from the national team,at that time i loved going to Scotland games but I haven’t been to one since.

When Walter took over my interest came back a bit but not enough to make me go back the actual games.

Since then it’s been complete indifference to the national team but i was happy to see Nathan Patterson make his international debut on Sunday.
Ian Ferguson being abused by the tartan trannies,along with the treatment of big Dunc,did it for me
 
Three reasons for me personally, am not patriotic, can't get behind and support any of the Celtic players who dominate the squad and international weekends / tournaments are an unwelcome distraction from club football. Only my opinion though so fair play to the fans who can replicate their Rangers passion for the national team.
 
I had given up on the National team long before 2012, even Walter or Eck at the helm didn't see me change any, Roxburgh started the rot and Brown carried it on, there's no way back for me but fair play to the Bears that enjoy the internationals.
 
The majority of Rangers fans moved away from supporting Rangers long before 2012. I still follow Scotland but there is an undertone of hating Rangers amongst the provincial clubs, I would say that started about 1986 and was in full flow around the 9 in a row season. This transferred to the tartan army and made it unpleasant to attend at times. Also Ian Ferguson being booed was a low point.
Derek - I think that's what they call a typo mate.
 
This is 2021. No Rangers players play for England now.

So why would a Scottish person support them?

It's no different to a Scottish Celtic supporter choosing to support the Republic of Ireland over Scotland. That is also tragic.
Why shouldn't a Scot support England? Have you ever thought that a Rangers supporter who is a Unionist will support England simply because he supports the Union of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I have lived in England for 38 years now, I supported all four nations individually and as a collective as GB, although my support of Scotland has now gone due to the hatred of the fanbase due to their, for the most part, politics
 
This is 2021. No Rangers players play for England now.

So why would a Scottish person support them?

It's no different to a Scottish Celtic supporter choosing to support the Republic of Ireland over Scotland. That is also tragic.

Am I permitted to continue to favour the Italian national team by your standards?
 
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