Rangers Reputation in Tatters - Again

There is nowhere to hide for Rangers FC. The ingrained bigotry of a large section of their 'supporters' will be beamed around the world for all to see. The events in Manchester last night have left me almost embarrased and ashamed to be a follower of this famous Glasgow club. So much so that I am rapidly losing interest in Scottish football and the culture of drunken violence that it cannot shake off. It's one thing to have a few pints and engage in a bit of banter whilst following your team. It is quite another thing to attack innocent car drivers, rob local businesses and attack police with anything not bolted to the ground. The only thing that keeps me supporting them is the fact that I do not wish to be driven away from the club by these cretins.

As the prominent Scottish sports journalist Graham Spiers points out, the club have tried almost everything to rid itself of such vermin, but in my view Rangers will never lose this element of its followers from the social underclass. Alcohol and intoxication, and the primitive tribal aggression it precipitates, is deeply embedded in the Scottish mindset. Although it could be said to be a problem for the whole of the UK, it seems to be particularly raw in Glasgow. What struck me in the bar I watched the game was the number of female fans perpetrating the aggression and bigotry. That said, they can hardly be described as female. They waddle about menacingly with their pints of cider intent on getting as wasted as possible - there is not a trace of femininity in them at all. I myself was verbally abused by one such disconsolate lady when returning home after the game, simply for having the audacity to wear a suit (which I was wearing as I had gone to the pub straight from work).

So, all the hard work done by Rangers FC over the past 6 or 7 years through a variety of campaigns, has just been undone in one night of madness. All this is great news for Celtic of course. Players across Europe will take note of last nights events and probably list Celtic ahead of Rangers as a preferred destination, although that may already have been the case.

This is Graham's article in full, from the Times Online, and it is worth documenting:

"The chaotic post-match scenes at the Uefa Cup final in Manchester must be utterly galling for those thousands of Rangers fans who follow their team with pride and distinction, yet who must wonder how on earth their club is to be rid of the social poison at its core.
These recurring incidents of delinquent behaviour with Rangers fans on the road are becoming tedious as well as depressing for those of us who chronicle this football club's fortunes. It doesn't seem to matter what Rangers as a club try to do - and the Ibrox board have explored every conceivable road recently - they simply cannot gouge out the primitive element among their followers.

By sheer chance a colleague and I stumbled upon the clashes between Rangers fans and the riot-police around midnight in the centre of Manchester on Wednesday night. Earlier, in the media centre, we had received reports of a Zenit fan being stabbed, and of a number of Rangers supporters being apprehended over that incident, but what we found in the centre of town was something else entirely.

Three of us had gone back to a hotel to pick up some luggage and, one block away, the clashes between fans and the police were in full spate. We drove into a grid of wailing sirens. One Rangers supporter said to me: "It's like a war-zone down there. Some windows have been kicked in and there's fighting with the police." One colleague went off to pick up his bag and returned 10 minutes later, slightly shaken after having to pick his way around the chaos.

The experience earlier in the day in Manchester on Wednesday was also depressing. The blight of bigotry has haunted Rangers FC and, while the club has pleaded and pleaded with fans to stop singing their sectarian dirges, the evidence of Manchester city centre over that period suggested they have made little progress in winning this battle. A range of songs which bellow about "Fenian bastards" and "F*** the Pope" remain the routine chant of too many Rangers supporters. You couldn't walk 50 yards in Manchester city centre without being assaulted by one such chorus.

This is a sensitive subject for Rangers. The club has begged Scottish reporters and editors to play it all down, because it "harms the image" of Glasgow and Scotland. Rangers themselves have hired a PR agency over the last two years, asked to perform what is euphemistically called "damage limitation" when it comes to these repeated embarrassments for the club. The PR boys have a tough job.

As a club Rangers are very familiar now with having to issue declamatory statements in the aftermath of such scenes as Manchester. A recurring phrase - and it was used again by Rangers yesterday - is that it is "a small minority" which ruins it for the rest.
The problem for Rangers is, this isn't a small minority of fans at all, but a large minority of them which indulges in such drunken, or aggressive, or bigoted behaviour. It is an on-going blight upon a very proud and distinguished Scottish institution."

As a sideline, congratulations to Zenit St Petersburg - a fully deserved victory.

Liverpool Fall Short, Over to Rangers

So, Liverpool are out of the Champions League and so this bloggers interest in the English league ends until the new season in August. Why can't I support a harmless, normal club like Ipswich or QPR with none of the stress and tension involved in following the Reds? As harsh as it sounds, Riise's last minute own goal at Anfield did in the end cost Liverpool a place in the final. It changed the whole complexion of the tie and allowed Chelsea to sit back and play a tight formation, depriving the Reds key players of space. The extra 3 or 4 days preparation and rest for Liverpool's players did not show one bit. If anything, it seemed like Liverpool were the team who had just played a tough and energy sapping title decider. They somehow lacked the drive and urgency of Chelsea, especially in the first half. Gerrard and Torres again were disappointing overall. Does this prove my suspicion that 'resting' players before key games is actually counter productive in that it disrupts their momentum and takes the edge off their game? Yet again, the team only started pressing when it was too late. A familiar trait with Benitez's teams. But I will keep the faith with Rafa, at least for another season. With heavy summer investment I think we can get closer to the top two. The side did well to get to the semi finals but were just lacking that extra bit of quality.

Enough of Liverpool though, I must pick myself up and dust myself down in anticipation of Rangers' 2nd leg decider against Fiorentina. The tie is delicately poised, although Fiorentina are favourites to progress. However Rangers have proved they are a competent side away from home in Europe, and with Barry Ferguson and Kevin Thomson back from suspension, the midfield will hopefully provide more creativity for the front two. The game could go any way. I've had enough footballing stress for one week so hopefully the Teddy Bears will score a goal nice and early to settle my nerves and then wrap things up with a couple of killer goals from Stevie Davis and Bazza in the 2nd half. Somehow I doubt things will go so smoothly……..

Depleted Rangers Seek Euro Glory

Rangers take on Fiorentina in what is arguably their most important game since a European Cup Semi Final 16 years ago. At the start of the season, most Rangers fans would have taken the UEFA Cup rather than the league title, given that European successes are much rarer feats. However, with captain Ferguson and Kevin Thomson suspended, and the treatment room resembling an episode of Holby City, the Light Blues are having to stretch resources. They should still be able to put out a decent side though, with Stevie Davis, Whittaker and Hemdani patrolling the midfield. However they will have to perform a lot better than they did on Sunday against St Johnstone. The Viola are an exceptional side, currently vying for a Champions League spot in Serie A. Ex-cocaine addict and Chelsea flop Mutu has rediscovered his goalscoring touch in Italy and will need to be watched closely by Weir and Cuellar.

Concerns have been raised by the away side over the pitch, and this could be to the Gers advantage, being the more direct and physical of the two sides. Up front, I'm relying on Darcheville to work the line as usual and Walter Smith will have to decide whether to deploy Novo or Cousin to share the load. My hunch is he will go for Novo for his pace and trickery. He rarely playes Darcheville and Cousin together, while the clubs top scorer Kris Boyd is evidently not fancied in European games. It should be a cracking game and hopefully all football fans in the UK, regardless of religious persuasions will be firmly behind this great and quintessentially British Scottish club.

Rangers on the Brink of History

Rangers’ remarkable UEFA Cup run continued last night with a stunning 2-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon. The Light Blues will now face Italian outfit Fiorentina in a two legged affair, for a place in the Final at the City of Manchester stadium against either Bayern Munich or Zenit St Petersburg.

The Gers survived an early scare after Leidson struck Allan McGregor’s left hand upright, but the Portugese posed little threat after that and were generally confined to long range efforts. After a tight first half, Jean Claude Darcheville pounced on the hour mark to send the travelling Rangers support into delirium. Sporting, now requiring two goals to progress, pushed forward with more urgency but Rangers held firm and sealed the tie in the 90th minute after Whittaker danced through the tiring Lisbon defence to end matters. The two outstanding performers last night were the rugged but impregnable Carlos Cuellar, who must surely be due a call up to the Spanish national squad, and the Ulsterman Steven Davis, whose cross led to Rangers crucial opening goal. The Ballymena man has slotted in seamlessly to the first team and has formed a formidable partnership with Barry Ferguson in the middle of the park. His neat passing and tireless running are perfect attributes for Smith’s preferred tactical set up, and every Rangers fan will be hoping his loan move from Fulham is eventually made permanent.

Rangers are by no means a pretty side to watch, but they are ruthlessly efficient. Walter Smith rarely gets his tactics wrong and must get enormous credit for navigating the team through a hectic fixture period. There surely cannot be a team in Europe who have played more games this season than the light blues. Indeed, with a healthy lead in the SPL and a quarter final date with Partick Thistle in the Scottish Cup, Rangers are still on course for an historic quadruple, a feat which would guarantee the current team legendary status. Whilst there is obviously still a long way to go for that, what is certain is that the pendulum has well and truly swung towards the blue half of Glasgow and the misery of the Paul Le Guen era has finally been completely erased.As they say in Govan, “OH THE BLUEBELLS ARE BLUE, ALL THE BLUEBELLS ARE BLUE…..”