I’ve never posted before. Never felt the need to. For the past several years, I’ve been more than happy to lurk in the background of FF, mostly laughing at the bizarre, ridiculous and witty stuff this place regularly throws up. Today, however, is different…
Out of nowhere, I lost my old man last year. As staunch as anyone - and another avid lurker on FF - our conversations would mostly be taken up with discussions about Rangers or, quite often, whatever we’d both seen on FF through the week! Unfortunately, I never got the chance to say a proper goodbye to him but, if I had the chance, I’d thank him for making me a bear. Growing up in the East of England, I now realise this couldn’t have been easy but he managed it with regular trips to Ibrox, buying me kits, and buying me dvds/videotapes for me to watch (over and over again). He once told me that “W.A.T.P” was one of the first things he said to me and, if things went as I hope they did, it was one of the last things he heard. Since his passing, we’ve had big games but I feel this is one of the biggest and it makes me miss him even more.
I was trying to explain to guys at work today what tomorrow means and what being a Rangers fan is all about. With only Norwich and Ipswich as their nearest reference point, with a healthy dose of English footballing arrogance and ignorance, and with being in their mid-20s like me (and not knowing about, for example, the 90s team) they did nothing but laugh and make the usual comments about Scottish football and making comparisons to other English derbies. I gave up in the end. Besides, how can I explain to someone that nervous feeling in the stomach before an old firm match? A feeling which comes about from a lifetime of following a club you’ve been steeped in, and knowing there’s millions of fans around the world going through the same thing! But, I guess that’s the thing; being a Ranger’s fan is in your blood, in your bones. I’ll be forever grateful to have that.
I’m quietly confident for tomorrow and I believe we’ve got something really happening at Rangers at the moment.
I might return to the lurking shadows and this might be my only post but:
‘W.A.T.P’