BlueMeanie
Well-Known Member
Barry says the worst instances were when he would be out with his kids and bigots would shout vile sectarian abuse at him.
By
Barry Ferguson
Scottish football is the best it has been for years on the park but events off the pitch are tarnishing the image of our game.
In recent campaigns I’ve been turning my TV off during some live games but this season’s fixtures have been great spectacles that should be a boost to the reputation.
That is what I should be writing about just now, what a great product we have, but instead the sinister side is dominating the headlines yet again.
Take Kilmarnock’s performance against Celtic last weekend. Steve Clarke’s side were excellent but what did we talk about? Kris Boyd getting sectarian abuse and hit with a coin.
Alfredo Morelos then scored four goals for Rangers in their emphatic Scottish Cup win over Kilmarnock in midweek. But what are we talking about? Steve Clarke receiving sectarian abuse.
It was the same with Aberdeen v Rangers when, albeit it wasn’t fan behaviour, we ended up talking about Allan McGregor’s challenge on Lewis Ferguson.
But it’s the sickening sectarian side of our game that’s the real ugly part and has been for years. It saddens me to say I’m not sure we’ll ever completely eradicate it.
On the pitch I was fine with abuse but the worst instances were when I was at the shops with the kids and afterwards they would ask me, “Why are they calling you an Orange b*****d?”
I had to try to shield them from that but one thing I didn’t do was let it stop me going out. I refused to let idiots stop me doing normal everyday family things.
It has to be made clear it’s a small minority on each side. There are workshops and it’s about going into schools and trying to educate kids at a young age.
But sadly there will always be a small percentage of people who continue to do it. I have never accepted sectarian abuse but I’ve learned to deal with it.
It was harder for foreign guys to understand when they came to Rangers. Arthur Numan for example used to ask me why punters were calling him an Orange b*****d. He just thought it was something to do with being from Holland!
They ask a lot of questions and you have to try to explain it to them. You don’t like it but they learn pretty quickly when out in the streets.
It was the same when I played in England as my team-mates were always asking about the Old Firm game because they’d watched it on TV and were intrigued by the atmosphere.
When I took some of them to the fixture they were a bit taken aback, even by something as small as the fact we had to go on different buses depending on what end they were going in.
A few were from either Northern Ireland or the Republic or Ireland so they understood better but the English ones were a bit shocked at some of the shouts I received when we went out for a drink.
I brought the likes of Lee Bowyer and Stephen Carr up. As a Dubliner Stephen understood it better but they found it hard to get their head around.
I’ve had plenty of friendly banter with Celtic fans. These days they keep reminding me they’re the dominant team and I enjoy that. I was playing for Scotland in the Star Sixes this year and I had Simon Donnelly, Jackie McNamara and Rab Douglas in my team and we had great banter.
The vast majority of Celtic fans I bump into, it’s friendly banter but when it becomes vile it really gets my back up.
When it becomes “you Orange b*****d” when you’re out with your kids at a young age – that’s the side of it that’s disgusting.
In a lot of cases the perpetrators will be youngsters who don’t have a clue what they’re actually singing about but they just follow others.
Kris Boyd was hit by a coin while warming up in front of Celtic fans and Barry wonders if someone needs to lose an eye before action is take against the coin thugs
Kris Boyd was on the end of it last weekend and was also struck by a coin in the latest incident of its kind this season.
Will it take someone getting seriously injured before something is done about it? I know it hit Boydy on the elbow and Neil Lennon in the chest but are the authorities waiting for someone losing an eye?
If you heavily fine clubs then the fans will soon start picking these idiots out who are bringing shame to our game.
There has been progress made and it’s the same with racism. Remember Mark Walters having bananas thrown at him during an Old Firm game in 1988?
But events in the last seven days are a reminder of how far we still have to go and, while we can’t ever give up on finding ways to make it better, my fear is we will never completely stamp it out.
By
Barry Ferguson
- 06:00, 23 FEB 2019
Scottish football is the best it has been for years on the park but events off the pitch are tarnishing the image of our game.
In recent campaigns I’ve been turning my TV off during some live games but this season’s fixtures have been great spectacles that should be a boost to the reputation.
That is what I should be writing about just now, what a great product we have, but instead the sinister side is dominating the headlines yet again.
Take Kilmarnock’s performance against Celtic last weekend. Steve Clarke’s side were excellent but what did we talk about? Kris Boyd getting sectarian abuse and hit with a coin.
Alfredo Morelos then scored four goals for Rangers in their emphatic Scottish Cup win over Kilmarnock in midweek. But what are we talking about? Steve Clarke receiving sectarian abuse.
It was the same with Aberdeen v Rangers when, albeit it wasn’t fan behaviour, we ended up talking about Allan McGregor’s challenge on Lewis Ferguson.
But it’s the sickening sectarian side of our game that’s the real ugly part and has been for years. It saddens me to say I’m not sure we’ll ever completely eradicate it.
On the pitch I was fine with abuse but the worst instances were when I was at the shops with the kids and afterwards they would ask me, “Why are they calling you an Orange b*****d?”
I had to try to shield them from that but one thing I didn’t do was let it stop me going out. I refused to let idiots stop me doing normal everyday family things.
It has to be made clear it’s a small minority on each side. There are workshops and it’s about going into schools and trying to educate kids at a young age.
But sadly there will always be a small percentage of people who continue to do it. I have never accepted sectarian abuse but I’ve learned to deal with it.
It was harder for foreign guys to understand when they came to Rangers. Arthur Numan for example used to ask me why punters were calling him an Orange b*****d. He just thought it was something to do with being from Holland!
They ask a lot of questions and you have to try to explain it to them. You don’t like it but they learn pretty quickly when out in the streets.
It was the same when I played in England as my team-mates were always asking about the Old Firm game because they’d watched it on TV and were intrigued by the atmosphere.
When I took some of them to the fixture they were a bit taken aback, even by something as small as the fact we had to go on different buses depending on what end they were going in.
A few were from either Northern Ireland or the Republic or Ireland so they understood better but the English ones were a bit shocked at some of the shouts I received when we went out for a drink.
I brought the likes of Lee Bowyer and Stephen Carr up. As a Dubliner Stephen understood it better but they found it hard to get their head around.
I’ve had plenty of friendly banter with Celtic fans. These days they keep reminding me they’re the dominant team and I enjoy that. I was playing for Scotland in the Star Sixes this year and I had Simon Donnelly, Jackie McNamara and Rab Douglas in my team and we had great banter.
The vast majority of Celtic fans I bump into, it’s friendly banter but when it becomes vile it really gets my back up.
When it becomes “you Orange b*****d” when you’re out with your kids at a young age – that’s the side of it that’s disgusting.
In a lot of cases the perpetrators will be youngsters who don’t have a clue what they’re actually singing about but they just follow others.
Kris Boyd was hit by a coin while warming up in front of Celtic fans and Barry wonders if someone needs to lose an eye before action is take against the coin thugs
Kris Boyd was on the end of it last weekend and was also struck by a coin in the latest incident of its kind this season.
Will it take someone getting seriously injured before something is done about it? I know it hit Boydy on the elbow and Neil Lennon in the chest but are the authorities waiting for someone losing an eye?
If you heavily fine clubs then the fans will soon start picking these idiots out who are bringing shame to our game.
There has been progress made and it’s the same with racism. Remember Mark Walters having bananas thrown at him during an Old Firm game in 1988?
But events in the last seven days are a reminder of how far we still have to go and, while we can’t ever give up on finding ways to make it better, my fear is we will never completely stamp it out.
