The 15-year Rangers sectarian time bomb that has blown up in club's face - Barry Ferguson

BlueMeanie

BlueMeanie

Well-Known Member
UEFA shutting a section of Ibrox is a hammer blow for Rangers but this has to be a wake up call for the section of fans hell bent on doing the club harm.

It can’t go on. Simple as that.

I’m sick and tired of even talking about sectarianism in this day and age. It’s supposed to be 2019 yet we’re still having to deal with it every other week.

Last season it was Steve Clarke being a 19th Century Terrorist B****** one week and Derek McInnes and Orange B****** the next. The usual songs from the same old culprits.

No matter how many times they were told it wasn’t on, the more clubs pushed the more they chanted back.

There’s no point in Rangers fans pointing the finger elsewhere though, moaning about getting picked on by UEFA while others are guilty of offence as well.




This is not about any other clubs. Let them deal with their problems before UEFA or anyone else does.

Rangers need to get their own house in order. Fair play to Dave King and the Ibrox board. They haven’t gone down the big, bad UEFA road.

They’ve taken the punishment on the chin and told the fans responsible they are not welcome at Ibrox as they are damaging the club.

It’s spot on. Because this can’t go on. It’s not like they haven’t been warned. UEFA shut parts of grounds all over Europe every single week for misbehaviour. It was only a matter of time before it happened here.

I can remember as a player appealing for fans to cut it out after the club got fined 15 years ago.

That’s why I can’t believe it’s still happening today. The vast majority of Rangers fans go to the games and back the team to the hilt without this nonsense. It’s the genuine supporters who will miss out on Thursday that I feel sorry for the most.

They are the ones who will be punished on Thursday night, with either their seats being taken off them or the atmosphere at the ground being diminished because a chunk will be missing.



It could end up costing the side in Europe. Think about that the next time you want to belt out an offensive chant.

It’s soul destroying. I’ve been reminded this week it’s 20 years since the Parma games in Europe. I still get goosebumps thinking about the atmosphere that night when we beat a bunch of players we were used to watching on Gazzetta Football Italia on Channel Four every Sunday.

That’s what Ibrox is all about. The place rocking on a big European night. Steven Gerrard has got the side on the verge of bringing those nights back but instead he’s having to take questions on this.



We just have to hope this will make the penny drop. But don’t bet on it. There’s an Old Firm game next week and no doubt it will be business as usual with the usual poison from both sets of fans.

I would love to go to my local pub with my pals who support both clubs but instead I won’t even be able to leave the house on Sunday because I know it would only take one idiot to create a problem.

It makes you despair.

There’s so much to be excited about in Scottish football right now. We’ve got the makings of the most thrilling title race in years, Rangers and Celtic are both in the frame to be in Europe until Christmas and the national team are in with a good shout for the Euros.



Yet time and time again we get dragged back in to the dark ages. I honestly don’t know if they will ever get rid of it and the club has done everything.

They’re at their wits end.

It’s a sad state that we’re even having to go down this road as we should be talking about after the result and performance in Poland.



Rangers were terrific. Legia Warsaw are not Parma but they are a decent side and it was a really professional performance from my old club.

They looked solid, strong, organised and disciplined, as well as being a threat – all the key ingredients required to get results away from home in Europe.

They could have even pinched it with the Alfredo Morelos chance and what a boost it would have been to come back with an away goal.



But 0-0 on the road is never to be sniffed at. Any time I went away in Europe – no matter where it was – the objective was always to get home with the tie alive and let the opposition try to survive Ibrox.

Rangers are in control of the tie now.

They’ll need to be wary of conceding but I’m much more comfortable watching this team this season.

There’s a real good shape to the side but the thing that really stands out for me is the strength in depth.

There were six internationals on the bench. When was the last time we could say that?


Gerrard can afford to rest and rotate, without weakening his starting side. That’s huge is you are going in to the Europa League as I know how tough it is when you’re on the Thursday-Sunday routine.

They are a little light up top but Gerrard has been using Morelos an Jermain Defoe brilliantly so far and their goals have been crucial to the impressive start to the season.

They are in great shape to make the Europa League group stages as well.

Gerrard has got Rangers going in the right direction but the club needs to leave the sectarian section of the support behind
 
I don’t disagree with him to be honest, the way I’m ultimately interpreting this is keep it out of the stadium and the football. Your own time is fine if you wish to do so, and Barry knows that.
 
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Gerrard55 said:
Another hypocrite.

Loved him as a player but really comes across as a clown in the media.
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How exactly is he a hypocrite? Who’s the other hypocrites?
I’ve seen you pedalling this pish on other threads as some sort of defiance against people daring to tell those who want to continue to screw the club over to get to %^*& away from Ibrox with it.
We get it, you love your stupid wee song and your right to sing it. But when you’re at Ibrox, you’re on Rangers property, in competitions governed by UEFA and SFA, these songs are illegal.
We are not hypocrites, we would only be hypocrites if we were to continue to sing the same dirge.
 
As fans surely an even playing field is not to much to ask, do the crime take the consequences but it must be across the board. A witch hunt with a kangaroo court is not on.
 
Regurgitated pish. Boring very fucking boring. How people even have the gumption to talk about this anymore to the media is beyond me. They continue to have a go at us and will forever continue to have a go at us no matter what we do. People are afraid to tell it how it is because of the whataboutery pish that keeps being thrown in their face when they mention others. The fact is it will never ever stop. It needs discussed like adults and with no agendas which will never happen. We are targeted and we can all see it. When we are openly being called all sorts of derogatory terms without a word being said it's no wonder people think they can sing or say what they want. It's fucked and they can smell blood.
 
Tydfo1872 said:
Barry didnt seem too offended when i seen the video of him and Jig at a fans dinner night not so long ago. None the less i still think we need to stop these songs/add ons right now.
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Yes but that was not at a game tbf! Personally I think we should be allowed to sing what we want fos and all but times have changed and politicians are flexing their muscles on all sorts of rights and organisations follow suit! Whilst we sort our own house we should be building an argument against other offensive fans faults and pressing for punishments imo.
 
dh1963 said:
The point he's making is totally correct, we need to be able to generate an atmosphere like Parma without the songs that will close Ibrox.
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This.

Can it be done? I doubt it. I don't think there's enough passion from fans though comparing 50,000 singing The Billy Boys to anything else we have to be quite honest.

That song is unique in the way that its first two words echo around the ground like no other noise in world football.

Is it just as simple as changing one word in the song?
 
TN8 said:
He's not coming across as a clown here at all. He's spot on, and its exactly the sort of message the Club needs put out there.
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He’s literally said how good Ibrox was the night of the Parma game and thats how it should be ffs.

The reason it was a great atmosphere was because of the songs and chants that he is soo offended at in the same article. How does that make sense?
 
Nacho Novo said:
This.

Can it be done? I doubt it. I don't think there's enough passion from fans though comparing 50,000 singing The Billy Boys to anything else we have to be quite honest.

That song is unique in the way that its first two words echo around the ground like no other noise in world football.

Is it just as simple as changing one word in the song?
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Whilst it absolutely has to go (and UEFA have said in its entirety so simply changing the words won't matter), I agree that I will miss the sheer thunder that the "Hullo hullo" intro used to produce. A noise like no other but a shame the rest of the lyrics are so derogatory.

I also agree it is a undoubtedly a challenge to maintain the same level of atmosphere minus the offending songs but it's one we simply have to master if we want to see our beloved club prosper.
 
JW1988 said:
How exactly is he a hypocrite? Who’s the other hypocrites?
I’ve seen you pedalling this pish on other threads as some sort of defiance against people daring to tell those who want to continue to screw the club over to get to %^*& away from Ibrox with it.
We get it, you love your stupid wee song and your right to sing it. But when you’re at Ibrox, you’re on Rangers property, in competitions governed by UEFA and SFA, these songs are illegal.
We are not hypocrites, we would only be hypocrites if we were to continue to sing the same dirge.
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My stupid wee song? Its our most famous chant and has been part of our history, chanted by generations before us at Ibrox for years and years.

Where have you been the last 10 years? You really dont see how we are being targeted? Its more than just the chants and songs, its an agenda to %^*& over Rangers and their fans at any opportunity. This one has worked an absolute belter for them.
 
SDF said:
"I’m sick and tired of even talking about sectarianism in this day and age."

Of course he is, means less time he can spend speaking about Paul Le Guen.

Too soon ? :D
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To be fair you could get a couple of books out of what’s he’s written about Le Guen, mean time I don’t think Le Guen has mentioned us once or taken any cheap shots since his departure.

He’s got the right idea here although his memory of the songbook on the night he’s referring to obviously isn’t the best.
 
We can eliminate it from our grounds through measures taken by the board to punish those deemed worthy of punishment. However, this is not a footballing issue, this is a societal issue, which is down to the government to tackle not Rangers or Celtic.
 
He is correct in saying we need to change. But we don't need an ex player to tell us that. There are plenty of the scum press sticking the knife in. You would never here any of Scum fc ex players saying it. Money talks.
 
The point he is making is correct.

One thing that should hot home here is that our manager had to field questions about which school he and his children attended yesterday....this is a global footballing icon as our manager having to fend off questions of this nature for %^*& sake...its embarrassing for him, the club and its reputation and supporters of our club.

It has to stop.
 
Superrangers said:
Ferguson, should be using his article to highlight the hypocrisy of the situation and the appalling behaviour that happens and goes unpunished elsewhere. Obviously would rather not upset his wife and in-laws than the millions who so loyally followed him.

Disgrace.
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Why should we be worrying about what goes on elsewhere? Cry about it all you like but the fact remains we’re in trouble because of songs we sing, we should only worry about ourselves.

Too many people keep saying “but what about what they’re doing”... %^*& what they’re doing. Worry about ourselves first
 
The same old whitabootery surfacing again from posters. Are they too stupid to understand the club are being punished for the singing it matters not a jot what other clubs fans are doing. Get our own house in order then you can point the finger. As he also says it was always going to happen it’s happened to other clubs, unless we can change then the club will be excluded from European competition and the whole club will be severely diminished as a result. Why would good players go to Scotland to play Killie 7 times a season with no Euro football?
 
Some of the negative comments are the problem we have,they really think we are hard done by...This is a warning and a wake up call...If you want to sing these songs why don't you all phuck off to the middle of a big empty public park and sing them to your heart and bitterness is content and give us all peace....Barry has hit the nail on the head and some '' fans'' on here don't like the truth one bit
 
Gerrard55 said:
He’s literally said how good Ibrox was the night of the Parma game and thats how it should be ffs.

The reason it was a great atmosphere was because of the songs and chants that he is soo offended at in the same article. How does that make sense?
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He's not offended by songs. He's offended by the people who repeatedly failed to listen to the club repeatedly telling us that certain songs and references were going to get us into trouble from UEFA. And now here we are.
 
Gerrard55 said:
My stupid wee song? Its our most famous chant and has been part of our history, chanted by generations before us at Ibrox for years and years.

Where have you been the last 10 years? You really dont see how we are being targeted? Its more than just the chants and songs, its an agenda to %^*& over Rangers and their fans at any opportunity. This one has worked an absolute belter for them.
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Why has it worked? Because despite numerous fines and warnings, certain people think they’re above the law. Maybe if they had to pay the fines themselves they’d not be so quick.
Its illegal, it’s that simple.
 
Sandbear said:
The same old whitabootery surfacing again from posters. Are they too stupid to understand the club are being punished for the singing it matters not a jot what other clubs fans are doing. Get our own house in order then you can point the finger. As he also says it was always going to happen it’s happened to other clubs, unless we can change then the club will be excluded from European competition and the whole club will be severely diminished as a result. Why would good players go to Scotland to play Killie 7 times a season with no Euro football?
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The same people going tonto about this charge and the songs and the whataboutery with them need to realise the best way to hammer those cunts is on the pitch which were near to doing, not in the stands belting out songs we knew 15 years ago would give them the ammunition they wanted in political circles to get at us.

These people need to fucking wake up and realise it's a battle we wont win.
 
People on here are calling the ones who are saying stop singing TBB are hypocrites, well I used to singing TBB and do you know what I don't sing it now and I haven't sung it for over 30 years for the simple reason is I GREW UP!!
 
Superrangers said:
Ferguson, should be using his article to highlight the hypocrisy of the situation and the appalling behaviour that happens and goes unpunished elsewhere. Obviously would rather not upset his wife and in-laws than the millions who so loyally followed him.

Disgrace.
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If it was an ex Celt talking about Celtc in this situation it would be two paragraphs of "stop this" followed by paragraph on Rangers do this, Aberdeen do this, Legia do this and so on
 
His article also mentioned that they were just as bad,so I don't see the problem with that
The fact is this,we have been punished and although ive sang these songs more times than I can remember and I will no doubt do so again,but for the sake of the club I won't sing them at rangers games again. Simple as that.
 
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