Belfast News Letter publishes Rangers fan perspective of Saturday celebrations

ICM

ICM

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Following on from yesterday and my contact with the Scotsman as alluded to on the following thread,

Discussion with The Scotsman on the negative and vitriolic content since Saturday

OK, so I've just had a lengthy discussion on the phone with Alison Campsie of The Scotsman putting across a Rangers fan/fan culture perspective on the events of Saturday. Alison was critical as a journalist should be and didn't appear to be doorstepping. I challenged some of the content of her...
www.followfollow.com www.followfollow.com

the Belfast News Letter have published my account/a Rangers fan perspective on the events of Saturday as well as other related events and topical matters.

It's a small win and goes to show that we can use our own voices and contacts to fight back.

Thanks to the News Letter for publishing. Go check it out please!

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/...-anything-to-do-with-rangers-is-wrong-3242320

“In some people’s eyes, anything to do with Rangers is wrong.”​

Not my words, but those of Graeme Souness speaking during his Ibrox era 30 years ago - the more things change, the more they stay the same.

In defiance, with a siege mentality, is not how I want to remember the weekend that saw Rangers lift their 55th league title and a joyous occasion for thousands of people but the sustained outpouring of negativity and vitriol from Scottish mainstream media outlets ensures that certain issues have to be addressed and defended.

Firstly, the vast majority of Rangers fans and all right thinking people strongly condemn the mindless scenes of violence and reckless behaviour from a small minority that marred the joyful experience and positivity of thousands of Rangers fans at George Square on Saturday afternoon.


Full article on the News Letter link above. Cheers.



 
Very good article but unfortunately the Newsletter is mostly only read by the Unionist community. We need to see similar articles in other publications but I'll not get my hopes raised.
 

NewsLetter article​

“In some people’s eyes, anything to do with Rangers is wrong.”​

By Graeme Hanna

Not my words, but those of Graeme Souness speaking during his Ibrox era 30 years ago - the more things change, the more they stay the same.

In defiance, with a siege mentality, is not how I want to remember the weekend that saw Rangers lift their 55th league title and a joyous occasion for thousands of people but the sustained outpouring of negativity and vitriol from Scottish mainstream media outlets ensures that certain issues have to be addressed and defended.
Firstly, the vast majority of Rangers fans and all right thinking people strongly condemn the mindless scenes of violence and reckless behaviour from a small minority that marred the joyful experience and positivity of thousands of Rangers fans at George Square on Saturday afternoon

………..

[For full article click the link]
 
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Doctor Rock said:
Very good article but unfortunately the Newsletter is mostly only read by the Unionist community. We need to see similar articles in other publications but I'll not get my hopes raised.
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The Shinnerbots are usually all over it on Facebook but I get your point. But anywhere is significantly better than nowhere and it’ll raise awareness among some readers who would fall for the propaganda hook, line and sinker.
 
Carlton The Bear said:
Good stuff. Do you want to try and freelance that article to our “friends” in the Scottish media? o_O:))

Edit: sorry, I didn’t see your other thread when I posted this so could Admin kindly merge them or lock this one? Cheers
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Can you edit your post above please mate, maybe after the first couple of paragraphs so that the NL can get the hits for the full article.
 
Just the latest in a series of articles that are both well-meaning yet utterly useless to our cause.

We have been asleep at the wheel for decades when it comes to the utter morons that attach themselves to the big occasions, like title celebrations & European games in and around the ground.

Until we completely ban these people and the antiquated & discriminatory chanting that seems existential to their support of our club, nothing will change.

Writing an article in a Unionist paper isn't going to help our cause one iota.
 
Candyass said:
Just the latest in a series of articles that are both well-meaning yet utterly useless to our cause.

We have been asleep at the wheel for decades when it comes to the utter morons that attach themselves to the big occasions, like title celebrations & European games in and around the ground.

Until we completely ban these people and the antiquated & discriminatory chanting that seems existential to their support of our club, nothing will change.

Writing an article in a Unionist paper isn't going to help our cause one iota.
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While that may be so in terms of a multitude of discussions about our hangers-on, because that’s what they are, the entire point of the article is to point out the double standards.

Its now being published elsewhere, and I can also tell you that the NewsLetter is followed online by a number of Shinnerbot on FB. I have not looked yet but can only guess some of the comments based on their previous.

Coming back to your main point, a mate of mine was telling me he knows of several people who travelled over from NI to Glasgow at the weekend who have never ever attended a game. So what do you want the club to do?
 
Candyass said:
Just the latest in a series of articles that are both well-meaning yet utterly useless to our cause.

We have been asleep at the wheel for decades when it comes to the utter morons that attach themselves to the big occasions, like title celebrations & European games in and around the ground.

Until we completely ban these people and the antiquated & discriminatory chanting that seems existential to their support of our club, nothing will change.

Writing an article in a Unionist paper isn't going to help our cause one iota.
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Quite sure the Club would ban anyone who was found guilty of breaking a law.

We have a big support that will include a percentage of numpties. When they "out" themselves they should be dealt with by the police, then the club can take appropriate action.

There will always be new numpties to deal with so don't expect anything the club does to stop that. Rangers can deal with behaviour in the stadium but they have no magic wand to deal with issues further afield, just as the Scottish government have no magic wand that stops people committing crimes.

The main issues from the weekend are deliberate bad management of the situation from the authorities leading to some minor incidents which have been blown out of proportion and used for political reasons.
 
Carlton The Bear said:
While that may be so in terms of a multitude of discussions about our hangers-on, because that’s what they are, the entire point of the article is to point out the double standards.

Its now being published elsewhere, and I can also tell you that the NewsLetter is followed online by a number of Shinnerbot on FB. I have not looked yet but can only guess some of the comments based on their previous.

Coming back to your main point, a mate of mine was telling me he knows of several people who travelled over from NI to Glasgow at the weekend who have never ever attended a game. So what do you want the club to do?
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It may well be that there is no punishments by the law & the football authorities and yeah, what you said the club can't stop people travelling over.
RangersForever said:
Quite sure the Club would ban anyone who was found guilty of breaking a law.

We have a big support that will include a percentage of numpties. When they "out" themselves they should be dealt with by the police, then the club can take appropriate action.

There will always be new numpties to deal with so don't expect anything the club does to stop that. Rangers can deal with behaviour in the stadium but they have no magic wand to deal with issues further afield, just as the Scottish government have no magic wand that stops people committing crimes.

The main issues from the weekend are deliberate bad management of the situation from the authorities leading to some minor incidents which have been blown out of proportion and used for political reasons.
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I know I'm going to sound like an old duffer here, but in my opinion, when we found ourselves at the wrong end of ugly headlines after Villareal in 2006, we should've grabbed the bull by the horns and set out clearly what words, phrases and songs were banned - not because it isn't obvious what we shouldn't be doing but because "ah don't know what is banned" is the last bastion of defence from the FTP Loyal.

At that point, we shouldn't just have phased out the loyalist stuff, it should've been banned immediately. Not because I'm a handwringer who thinks this is all fair and balanced, but the consequences of carrying it on are/were way too great...
 
It wouldn’t matter one iota what’s banned or not banned being sung, Rangers nor any other football club for that matter, cannot stop anyone singing in George Square. Or anywhere else for that matter, except inside Ibrox or an away ground.

And therein lies the biggest rationale for the SNP turning down the request for Rangers to host fans into Ibrox - into a controllable environment. Even a full stadium would have been better, in hindsight!

But the SNP would rather hide behind a problem they helped to create and blame all and sundry.

I will say it again. The hangers-on that might get lifted for the nonsense that did happen will be no loss to the Rangers fanbase. Because I’d bet they’re not exactly ST Holders!
 
Carlton The Bear said:
It wouldn’t matter one iota what’s banned or not banned being sung, Rangers nor any other football club for that matter, cannot stop anyone singing in George Square. Or anywhere else for that matter, except inside Ibrox or an away ground.

And therein lies the biggest rationale for the SNP turning down the request for Rangers to host fans into Ibrox - into a controllable environment. Even a full stadium would have been better, in hindsight!

But the SNP would rather hide behind a problem they helped to create and blame all and sundry.

I will say it again. The hangers-on that might get lifted for the nonsense that did happen will be no loss to the Rangers fanbase. Because I’d bet they’re not exactly ST Holders!
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See when it starts getting to the stage where we have cabinet politicians falsely accusing our players of bigotry along with the rest of the bad PR, I'm sorry to say we need to grab the bull by the horn.

Your point on outside the grounds would be valid if we actually covered our arses inside grounds - we don't and never have.
 
I'm here. Thank you.
Well done mate,as I said yesterday your efforts are appreciated by this bear.
As usual we have the usual arse holes who refuse to acknowledge an ongoing campaign to demonise and attack our club and our unionist values and culture.
Whilst I unreservedly condone the disgraceful behaviour of a very small number within our great support I also urge all bears to look at the bigger picture,which is a coordinated and sustained attack by a pan nationalist anti British SNP and their Irish republican cohorts.
 
Candyass said:
See when it starts getting to the stage where we have cabinet politicians falsely accusing our players of bigotry along with the rest of the bad PR, I'm sorry to say we need to grab the bull by the horn.

Your point on outside the grounds would be valid if we actually covered our arses inside grounds - we don't and never have.
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I think we shall have to agree to disagree on that. Liars will lie. Haters will hate. We have done far more than most and it’s not enough for them and no matter how much more good work we do it never will be. Fact.
 
Carlton The Bear said:
I think we shall have to agree to disagree on that. Liars will lie. Haters will hate. We have done far more than most and it’s not enough for them and no matter how much more good work we do it never will be. Fact.
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When it comes to doing 'more than most' - proactively in terms of promoting inclusion and diversity, we have.

When it comes to being explicit on songs/phrases/chants that are banned, it should've bene picked up by the board when we were punished by UEFA again under Stevie G for the first time.

We've failed to deal with this specific element of the problem for 15 years
 
Everyone knows what they are, except the ones who don’t set foot in a football ground or at best, not regulars.

I don’t know what more the club can be expected to do.
 
Carlton The Bear said:
Everyone knows what they are, except the ones who don’t set foot in a football ground or at best, not regulars.

I don’t know what more the club can be expected to do.
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Explicitly ban songs, chants and phrases that get us into shit.

You're right that we shouldn't have to, but we are where we are.
 
I know what they are already. You do too. Every other regular fan does too. So I’ll not deflect any further from the main point - that we are held to standards way above those expected and tolerated of others. Indisputable.
 
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