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  1. The 57-year-old fell ill yesterday morning and called an ambulance to take him to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, friends said. Johnstone was a popular football pundit on Radio Clyde for 25 years, but announced at the end of last month he was to join former Scotland teammate Alan Rough at arch-rival station Real Radio. A spokesman for his former employers at Clyde, where he anchored the Super Scoreboard show from 1986, last night expressed hopes he would bounce back from the heart problems as soon as possible. He said: ââ?¬Å?On behalf of all at Clyde One, Clyde Two and the Super Scoreboard team we wish Derek a speedy recovery and we wish him and his family well at this time.ââ?¬Â A spokeswoman for Rangers also voiced concerns for the veteran striker, a regular on the Ibrox teamsheet through the 1970s and early 1980s. ââ?¬Å?Everyone at Rangers sends him our very best wishes,ââ?¬Â she said. Friends of the former Scotland player said he felt unwell around 11.30 yesterday morning but managed to call for medical help himself. He is thought to be recovering in the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley. In December 2005, Johnstone was rushed to hospital after a heart scare. He collapsed at a charity event and was kept in overnight at the Western Infirmaryââ?¬â?¢s coronary care unit. Originally from Dundee, it was with Rangers that Johnstone secured his place in football history during the 1970s. A uniquely versatile player, he racked up appearances for his club and national side in many positions, spanning attack, midfield and defence with ease. In 546 appearances for Rangers he scored 210 goals, including ââ?¬â?? at the age of 16 ââ?¬â?? the winner in the 1970 League Cup Final against Celtic. He made his debut for the national team in 1973, and joined Scotlandââ?¬â?¢s World Cup squad in Argentina in 1978. After 13 professional seasons at Ibrox he was signed by Chelsea, where he played for two years before moving back to Ibrox for a year and then briefly managing Partick Thistle. In 1986 he launched his second career as a pundit for Radio Clyde, and he was a regular on the Super Scoreboard programme for more than two decades. Last week, however, he announced his transfer to Real Radio, where he was to join Rough on the Real Football Phone-in show. ââ?¬Å?One of the major factors is I will be freed up at weekends to go and watch games,ââ?¬Â he said at the time. ââ?¬Å?I have been in the studio for many, many years every weekend at Clyde and not seen a lot of games, which I have really missed.ââ?¬Â He has still to take up his new post at Real Radio, reportedly because of legal issues around his move from Clyde. A Real Radio spokeswoman said: ââ?¬Å?We know Derek was in hospital for tests today and our understanding is he is absolutely fine and we look forward to seeing him soon.ââ?¬Â Station director Jay Crawford said this month he was ââ?¬Å?thrilledââ?¬Â to have Johnstone joining the Real team. Last month, Johnstone joined his former team-mates to mark the 40th anniversary of the Ibrox Stadium Disaster, which claimed 66 lives in 1971. Johnstone was married to his wife Marion for 21 years and the couple had four children together. In December 2006 he announced his engagement to former Miss Scotland June Lake. http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/pundit-johnstone-suffers-suspected-heart-attack-1.1084338
  2. From today's Sun..... And where the ultra-moronic found a surreal way to try and screw up a tribute to the 66 lives lost in the 1971 Ibrox Disaster. As the stadium fell still on ref Craig Thomson's whistle, a cough came from the Celtic End. Then another. Then another and another and lots more anothers until it was as clear as the red nose on a flu-ridden reindeer's face that this was an orchestrated effort to make a point. What that point was, we'll never know. But it seems some lame-brains just don't have the civility to shut the hell up for 60 seconds in memory of others. As the seconds ticked painfully slowly, someone in the middle of the away support started to applaud.
  3. I know this is a bit late but have admin planned to change the background or banner to something as a mark of respect to the dead from the Ibrox Disaster?
  4. Two tragedies linked by the cruellest twists of fate. "It had, according to the radio commentary on the BBC Scottish Home Service, been a tame Old Firm encounter but with a highly-dramatic finale. Two goals - one for each team - in the last minute of the game. The doyen of Scottish football commentators, David Francey, was at his loquacious best, injecting colour into an all-too-drab winter's afternoon in Glasgow. Before he signed off, he made mention of "something bad" appearing to have happened on the terracing at the Rangers end. In those days, "something bad" at an Old Firm match meant flying bottles and cans and police rushing in where ordinary mortals would fear to tread, to seize the perpetrators. But not this time. It wasn't that kind of "something bad", he thought. An hour later, news bulletins were talking of injuries, of scores of ambulancemen and women at the scene, of people being led away or carried out on stretchers - "something bad" had become "a major incident". With every television and radio bulletin that night on January 2, 1971, the toll mounted. Ten dead... 20... 30... I was home from university for New Year on the Isle of Lewis and in those days you couldn't get a Sunday paper there until Monday. And when we finally got them (around noon!), there was only one story. The Scottish Daily Express and Daily Record had pictures of the walking wounded, of club scarves peeking out from under the blankets that covered the dead. The back pages hardly bothered with the game. The peerless John Rafferty in The Scotsman wrote as only he could of fleeting triumph and sombre disaster following fast on one another. The papers asked how this could have happened and answered their own question with stories of one fan having tripped and fallen, bringing others down. Other papers told stories of fans who had decided to go at the last minute - and died. The drunken tangle on Stairway 13 became an enduring image of a day that made a mockery of the import too many of us place on football. Lewis had known tragedy at New Year. On January 1, 1919, more than 200 servicemen coming home from the Great War perished when the Admiralty yacht Iolaire struck rocks a mile out from Stornoway Harbour. Suddenly that New Year's weekend on Lewis, Ibrox and Iolaire seemed linked by the cruellest twists of fate."
  5. The disaster game was my first ever OF game and thankfully i was only allowed to go because i could use my uncles season ticket for the main stand. I remember the stairway pressure only too well in other games although obviously not to the extent of the disaster day. It really was an accident waiting to happen. I remember my father always telling me to cross my arms to protect my chest and make sure I stayed on my feet. Probably useless advice when it did go wrong. I remember the shouts when the pressure was getting really bad trying to stop more people coming on to the stairs. This was not a one game occurrence but played a part in all games. How no one realised what could happen if things did go wrong long before they did i will never know. To say people see it as if it is a medal to be at the game i feel a bit unfair as the shock when we got home to see on the news the bodies lying on the pitch was also a huge emotional blow. To know just an hour or two earlier you were standing, or sitting in my case, looking at the pitch where the bodies then lay put me and i would imagine all supporters in an emotional state of shock. Yes we attach ourselves to that game but not as if we won a medal but because we felt for the supporters with whom we had just a short time earlier supported our team together, and who were then lying lifeless on the pitch. God bless them.
  6. SMITH hopes defender will be back for Valencia clash More...
  7. Inspired early on by what the guys set up and done for the Markinch lads I felt it would be a good thing to honour the memory of the only female victim of the Ibrox Disaster, Margaret Ferguson by way of a memorial bench and hopefully restoring the memorial plaque at her grave in time for the 40th anniversary. I dont have exact figures at the moment but am in communication with Falkirk Council. The thread will be updated daily as to amount being raised and communication with surviving family and the council. Donations can be made here if anyone wishes. http://tinyurl.com/32bdlyy Margaret Ferguson from Maddiston was 18 when she died in the disaster. As fate would have it she slipped out the house to go to the game with a friend whilst her family went to the Falkirk game and they returned unware Margaret was caught up in the tragedy at Ibrox. Only a fortnight earlier she had made a doll for Colin Stein's daughter and taken it to his house. I also hope to start an Ibrox Disaster Memorial Grove to all 66 victims at http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/groves/index.html which is planting and dedicating trees helping to restore the caledonian forest !!
  8. RESTORED memorial stone unveiled in Fife town More...
  9. STV 21:00 tonight, 1971/72 season. Should be worth a watch tonight:thup:
  10. The remaining sister of Margaret Ferguson is thankful to all who donated and are donating and remember her sister who died on that terrible day in 1971 at Ibrox. I spent a couple of hours with her and her daughter on thursday at the graveside who told me about Margaret as a young girl and teenager and what happened on the stairway and the days afterwards right up to the 30th anniversary at Ibrox.
  11. Just in case anyone hasn't seen this disgraceful statement from them over the weekend - with regard to the 40th Anniversary of the 1971 Ibrox Disaster: http://www.celtictrust.net/TheIbroxDisaster.htm They even had the date wrong yesterday but the italicised sections I've highlighted tell you all you need to know about these vile, vile people. To use a subject like the Ibrox Disaster to point-score over Rangers fans is nothing short of disgusting and their hypocrisy, as usual, astounding. For those that don't know, their chairwoman Jeanette Findlay is also banned from some media because of her previous public support for the PIRA when interviewed by Nicky Campbell. Unfortunately, Celtic are still all too willing to work with this organisation. - Link to Radio 5 Interview http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/fivelivebreakfast/2007/11/celtic_controversy.html - Link to Daily Record article http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2007/11/21/celtic-disown-rebel-fans-chief-in-ira-row-86908-20137880/ For those who wish to complain, please do so through official channels - Supporters Direct are clear in their constitution and it is beyond time this organisation was black-balled from a government backed initiative. http://www.supporters-direct.com/page.asp?p=3408 enquiries@supporters-direct.org
  12. Celtic have agreed a deal in principle for Neil Lennon to become their next permanent manager. More...
  13. BOSTON has sparked fury with a campaign to halt a unique Old Firm derby in the city after claims that Rangers fans could run riot. Celtic and Rangers could land a �£1million-plus close-season bonanza with a friendly in the US. But the Boston Globe - one of America's most-respected journals - is leading the bid to have the game at Fenway Park called off. It has accused Gers supporters of causing mayhem and violence at home and abroad. In a stinging editorial, it falsely claims "tensions between Celtic and Rangers fans" caused the Ibrox Disaster in 1971. The astonishing attack has been slammed by the SPL champions and has sparked a fierce backlash from angry Gers fans. The Boston Globe wrote: "While it is recognised that not all Rangers fans involve themselves in such activity, one can't help wonder how the city of Boston will fare after a Fenway game, should the Rangers faithful feel the need to express themselves, as they did in Manchester in 2008. "Following their team's defeat in the UEFA Cup Final, the blue-clad fans left parts of Manchester in a shambles and forced the local constabulary to don riot gear to restore order. "But Rangers have a long history of violence on their travels, dating back decades. "Who can forget their pitch invasion in Barcelona in 1972, which earned the club a one-year ban from European competition? The same fans brought their particular brand of fanaticism to Romania last year, clashing with police who were forced to use tear gas. "With Spanish police reporting Rangers violence in 2006 (Villarreal) and 2007 (Barcelona), the list goes on and on. "Most notably, disaster struck at Rangers' Ibrox Stadium in 1971 following a crush-barrier failure. It is widely accepted that the tensions between Celtic and Rangers fans played a major part in the 66 deaths. "Celtic, by comparison, can be charged with, well, not much at all. If their arch-rivals have dragged the name of Glasgow through the mud, it must be said that Celtic fans have done their best to restore the good name." Angry Rangers insist they will demand a retraction from the newspaper. Advertisement Quantcast A spokesman said: "Rangers fans can be assured the reference in this article to the Ibrox Disaster, in particular, which is both inaccurate and offensive, will be taken up with the newspaper." Stephen Smith, of the Rangers Supporters' Trust, said: "The remarks about 1971 are disgusting and entirely inaccurate." Celtic, meanwhile, have added another date to their American tour. They will face Seattle Sounders on July 18. Read more: http://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/sport/spl/2952064/We-dont-want-your-yobs-Gers.html#ixzz0mSt3rvUX
  14. BOYD admits Smith's long-term future will play big part in his own More...
  15. Episode five of The Football Years, shown on Thursday February 4 at 9pm, looks back to January 2 1971 when 66 Rangers fans lost their lives.
  16. HE is the prophet who was depicted as a pariah. Yesterday, as the extent of Rangersââ?¬â?¢ financial frailties and boardroom politics were graphically exposed in these pages, the warnings of Hugh Adam, the former chairman and managing director of Rangers Development, were re-released for public consumption. The man who brought Ã?£18m of new investment to the club through the Rangers Pools since 1971 ââ?¬â?? that equates to around Ã?£70m in todayââ?¬â?¢s money ââ?¬â?? has been a consistent, if reluctant, critic of Sir David Murrayââ?¬â?¢s bold business strategy. Seven years ago, Adam sounded a dire warning that raised questions over the very existence of one of Scottish footballââ?¬â?¢s ââ?¬â?? and Scottish societyââ?¬â?¢s ââ?¬â?? apparently indestructible institutions. He did so while unloading 
his 59,000 shares in the club, on 
the basis that, under Murrayââ?¬â?¢s methods, they were heading towards worthlessness. As Rangersââ?¬â?¢ debts mounted at the height of the excess of the Dick Advocaat era, Adam described bankruptcy as ââ?¬Å?the logical conclusionââ?¬Â for a team in financial free-fall. ââ?¬Å?The banks are well-known for being a bit more tolerant of companies whose core business is a popular pursuit like football but there is a limit to how far backwards they can bend to accommodate you,ââ?¬Â he said back then, not quite to universal approval. His stance was ridiculed by some within Ibrox as the haverings of a bitter and doddery former director, while his decision to sell his shares and spill the beans in public was regarded as treasonable among Murrayââ?¬â?¢s most fervent supporters. Seven years on, and in spite of Murray dipping in to his funds to take a massive bite out of the clubââ?¬â?¢s debts a few years ago, Adamââ?¬â?¢s predictions have gained a new-found credibility since Lloyds Banking Group began to exert significantly greater pressure on the club to recoup the current Ã?£30m overdraft. Yesterday, from his home in Burnbank, Lanarkshire, the 
84-year-old stressed that he derived no satisfaction from this belated vindication and instead spoke with sadness at Rangersââ?¬â?¢, and Murrayââ?¬â?¢s, plight. He remained adamant, though, that Rangersââ?¬â?¢ perilous position is not simply as a consequence of the depressed football climate. ââ?¬Å?When I made those comments seven years ago I was ridiculed by some,ââ?¬Â said Adam. ââ?¬Å?We [David Murray and he] got on fine in the beginning, but, with David, it gets to the stage that if you do not agree with him he casts you aside. ââ?¬Å?I did not agree with the way 
he operated and I told him that. 
It doesnââ?¬â?¢t give me any satisfaction to see the situation as it is but I did raise concerns at the time and was ridiculed for raising them.ââ?¬Â Yesterday, the Lloyds Banking Group released a statement stressing they were not in control of the club, despite Walter Smith, the increasingly exasperated manager, stating categorically that they were. Adam believes the entrepreneurial instincts that served Murray well, both in the salad days of his steel empire and as the driving force of the Rangers revolution, ultimately became his undoing. ââ?¬Å?David was a salesman, a super-salesman. I have enormous respect for him for the adversity he overcame but when I would express my concerns to him ââ?¬â?? as I did various times ââ?¬â?? he would nod, but I knew he wasnââ?¬â?¢t listening to me. He was entitled to ignore me but I wasnââ?¬â?¢t for sitting about like a dummy.ââ?¬Â Adam is keen to ensure that his updated remarks are not viewed as
a gleeful ââ?¬Ë?I told you soââ?¬â?¢ at a vulnerable former chairman. If anything, he believes that Murray deserves to leave with a fanfare and not a whimper after 20 years in control and having financed the nine in a row era and a bold ââ?¬â?? if, in retrospect, ill-advised ââ?¬â?? assault on sustained Champions League credibility. Rangersââ?¬â?¢ new challenge ââ?¬â?? along with the bank ââ?¬â?? is to attract a new buyer. Adam is not convinced that Dave King, the South Africa-based businessmen, is a certainty to throw his undisclosed wealth down Scottish footballââ?¬â?¢s black hole. ââ?¬Å?Even if I had the money I wouldnââ?¬â?¢t buy Rangers just now. Would you?ââ?¬Â he asks. ââ?¬Å?If anything, I would rather buy Celtic now because they are run more prudently by good, strong people. Television revenue is not going to increase, fans are not buying into it any more and there is no prospect of England on the horizon. For guys like Abramovich at Chelsea, the television money is there, while his own commitment is relatively loose change.ââ?¬Â ââ?¬Å?I am 84, so it is a bit late in the day for me to come up with a business plan but what I would do is lobby the Dutch, Portuguese and Scandinavians regularly to champion the cause for an Atlantic League.ââ?¬Â Adamââ?¬â?¢s warnings from seven years ago now command greater credibility than that fabled competition. http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/rangers/interview-hugh-adam-seven-years-after-sounding-a-dire-warning-over-rangers-future-1.928796
  17. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/scotland/article6342409.ece At last a good read from the repugnant reporter. Graham Spiers Rangers FC, the 2009 Scottish champions, resolutely remain one of the great institutions of British football. And compiling this list of Rangers' greatest 50 players has been quite a trip down memory lane for me. My own particular Rangers journey stretches back to just 1970, but in composing this list I have spoken to Ibrox fans whose recollections went back through the decades and, in one case, even to the immediate prewar years. The old Ibrox prior to its 1980 all-seated refurbishment was something to savour: the great oval arena with the huge terracing covering three quarters of the ground, set against the famous Archibald Leitch stand, with the grass below glowing in the early-season sunshine. Back then, as today, vast crowds rolled up, and, for a little kid, bounding up the steps to take in this sight made for breathtaking excitement. The club's history is littered with great players, as I hope the list testifies. This, naturally, is a highly subjective list, and I take full responsibility for its accuracy or whims. Thanks go to Robert McElroy, Jim B and Fat Rab for their advice, though I disagreed with all of them in the end. 50 Willie Johnston 1964-72, 1980-82, 393 total appearances, 125 goals Forgive the authorial bias here ... but His Eminence, Sir William "Bud" Johnston, has to be quoted in a Rangers top 50, if only just scraping in. A winger, a dribbler, a fiery personality with a wicked temper (but a lovely guy off the pitch), Johnston was everything to a young Glasgow kid dreaming of such wing wizardry himself. Johnston's colourful career had everything - too much to quote here - but when he took flight over 15 yards few would catch him, especially in 1971-72. 49 Arthur Numan 1998-2003, 118 total appearances, 3 goals Numan was the very epitome of the modern full back: quick, strong, intelligent on the ball and blessed (he's Dutch) with bags of self-belief. One of the first of Dick Advocaat's signings when he came to Rangers in 1998, Numan had just starred for Holland at that summer's World Cup and quickly became an Ibrox favourite. One of the club's greatest left backs. 48 Neil Gibson 1894-1904, total appearances unknown This Rangers player was once called "the greatest half back of Victorian times". Neilly Gibson was also once described as "Pavlova in football boots". He was an ever-present in the Rangers team that recorded a 100 per cent league campaign in 1898-99, so let not the years dim his reputation. 47 Ian Durrant 1983-98, 347 total appearances, 45 goals Many can still recall Ian Durrant's first, fleeting moments of greatness as a Rangers player in 1985. Craig Brown: "He had this amazing ability to streak ahead of the play, to ghost beyond defenders to latch on to through balls." Durrant was magnificent, one of the great Scottish midfield players-in-waiting before injury wrecked his career. His spirit and guts forced him back into the Rangers team in the 1990s but he was never the same player. 46 Colin Jackson 1963-82, 506 total appearances, 40 goals Tall, lanky, with legs the length of oars, Colin "Bomber" Jackson was a mainstay for Rangers for a remarkable span of years. "McCloy, Jardine and Mathieson, Greig, Jackson and Smith..." was the Rangers side of the early 1970s, reeling off the tongue like a poetic stanza. Jackson was excellent in the air, and no slouch on the ground for such a beanpole. 45 Willie Reid 1909-20, 217 league appearances, 188 goals Reid remains one of the great goalscorers in Rangers' history, his tally of 188 league goals is bettered by only three other strikers. The Great War called him away from Ibrox when he served as a gunner in France, but he was firtune enough to return adn resume his penalty-box exploits. 44 Barry Ferguson 1997-present, 420 total appearances, 60 goals Despite recent controversies, and some cynics who dislike him as a player, this writer stands by what Dick Advocaat once said: "Barry Ferguson could play in any league in Europe ... in Spain ... in Italy." A midfield player of poise, composure and technique, Ferguson's greatest gift is his comfort on the ball, and ability to take possession in tight areas and open the play up for Rangers. Currently does not have his troubles to seek but would have staked a claim for a place in any Rangers team of any era. 43 Paul Gascoigne 1995-98, 103 total appearances, 39 goals One of the most skilful - and troubled - players ever to play for Rangers, Gascoigne lit up the Ibrox scene for two and a half seasons before fading due to off-field problems. It was a memorable coup for Rangers when he arrived from Lazio in 1995, and in some matches of that 1995-96 season Gascoigne was unstoppable. Possibly the greatest case ever of brains being in feet. 42 Derek Johnstone 1970-83, 1985-86, 546 total appearances, 210 goals Johnstone makes it on to the list because he was a prolific goalscorer, had a fine touch for a big man, could run well and at ease with the ball, and who was "all Rangers" for so many years. A recent DVD of his exploits reminded many of what a complete striker Johnstone was. To his great credit he was equally adept at centre back, as no less a figure than Jock Wallace ajudged. 41 Graeme Souness 1986-91, 73 total appearances, 5 goals Hard, antagonistic, and prone to maiming certain opponents, Souness was no angel but was still a great Rangers player. By the time he triggered the great Ibrox revolution in 1986 he was past his best, but we still saw flickers of the great midfield enforcer of the late 70s and early 80s. A cosmetic surgeon has subsequently pottered with Souness's head but he is still a recognisably intimidating character. 40 Tommy McLean 1971-82, 453 total appearances, 57 goals "Wee Tam" was an enduring figure of Rangers teams of the 1970s. If you were positioned high up the terracing of the old, oval-shaped Ibrox, McLean's little legs seemed to flicker like highly-charged pistons as he scuttled to the byline to send in his looping crosses. An intelligent player whose dead-ball distribution was his strongest asset. 39 Mark Hateley 1990-97, 222 total appearances, 115 goals Hateley was a powerful and intimidating centre forward who overcame a difficult start to his career at Rangers, when he looked slow and lumbering, having been out of football for 18 months with an ankle injury in Monaco. Lithe and aggressive, Hateley turned into one of the great postwar Rangers strikers, becoming an icon in the club's success in the 1990s. 38 Bobby Shearer 1955-65, 407 total appearances, 4 goals Red-faced, chisel-jawed and with a sprig of wiry hair, you wouldn't have wanted to pick a fight with Shearer any time. "Captain Cutlass" raked in the medals during his ten-year sojourn with Rangers and was a member of the famous "Ritchie, Shearer, Caldow," line-up which was written in the hearts of many Ibrox fans of the 1960s. 37 Davie Cooper 1977-89, 540 total appearances, 75 goals A mercurial talent and winger of outrageous if fitful ability, Cooper's goal in the 1979 Drybrough Cup final will live long in the memory of many Rangers fans. Twisting, turning, duping opponents with his dribbling, Cooper has nonetheless become a mythical figure at Rangers, with many deleting from history his leaner times. The first time I met Cooper, in a TV studio two years before his tragic death at just 39, he said to me: "It wasn't all glory for me at Rangers." 36 Alex MacDonald 1968-80, 503 total appearances, 94 goals Come on down, Doddie, lamb-chop sideburns and all! "Alex MacDonald covers every blade of grass, his lungs are made of leather..." How man sports reporters wrote such a sentence while watching this compact machine of a midfield player? Perhaps David White's lasting legacy to the club, MacDonald was a midfield phenomenon who was adept at ghosting in on the blind side of defences. 35 Alex Venters 1933-46, 201 total appearances, 102 goals A brilliant, almost insatiable goalscorer, Venters arrived at Ibrox from Cowdenbeath already a Scotland international, and would go on to score 155 league goals - some of these "unofficial" goals during wartime - 18 of them in Old Firm fixtures. The Second World War came at precisely the wrong time for Venters (as well as for half of Europe) but he continued banging in goals during the unofficial war period, hence the discrepancies in his goals tally.
  18. Sorry if this was brought up over the weekend but I need to get this off my chest.... Yesterday this flag that was in the Kop End with a Celtic badge claiming Justice For The 96. Now in no way am I trying to tarnish the the names of the poor souls that perrished to "point score" but this has to be highlighted. Steak Pie FC are well known on here for their antics and their "Please love us attitude" but this one surely is up there.... Celtic FC being involved in Stadium Diasaters...... Now to any neutral with half an ounce of knowledge about Scottish Football would be aware of the worst day in our Club's History, The Disaster of Stairway 13 in 1971 in which 66 of our fans lost their lifes. The opponents that day? That's right, none other than Celtic FC. Now I, like 99% of us on here, wouldn't want anything to do with that mob but why would they want to attach themselves emotionally to the Hillsborough Disaster (only link - there was a friendly played to raise funds after the disaster) when there was a Stadium Disaster in Glasgow (where they are based) in a game that they were playing in? Instead the self-proclaimed Greatest Fans In The World refer to it as the "Orange Crush" and ruined a minutes silence for the Bears that lost their lifes so sadly. Now strangely enough, it's not the only minutes silence that they have ruined for the victims of a Stadium Disaster. Ask Ged Brannan, formally of Motherwell fame. Ged lost his mate Graham Wright on that fateful day at Hillsborough on the 15th of April 1989. 10 years later, Motherwell play Celtic at the piggery and before the match to mark the tenth year anniversary there is to be a minutes silence held at all grounds across Britain. All pass naturally without incident but not at the Celtic game. A few seconds into it, a rabid **** shouts some abuse at Andy Goram about "eating all the pies ya fat Orange Bastard" for all to hear followed by more joining in. There were then shouts about the IRA and freeing Irish Prisioners. This of course was to be the run of the mill for the *******s who now have had to adopt the "minutes applause" It's a shame that about 90% of the Liverpool support will be unaware of this. Instead, they get the impression that the Bheats are their mates from Jockland. If only they knew the fucking half of it........
  19. RANGERS fans everywhere will spare a thought at today's Old Firm game for the victims of the Ibrox Disaster on January 2. 1971. John Greig and Sandy Jardine lay a wreath at the Ibrox Disaster memorial in 2007Back then, an awful accident on Stairway 13 at the end of the Rangers-Celtic derby resulted in the death of 66 supporters while 145 were injured. It remains the worst tragedy in Scottish football and the events of that day and those which followed are indelibly etched in the minds of the players involved at that time. John Greig and Sandy Jardine both played that fateful day when Rangers came from behind to level Jimmy Johnstone's opener through Colin Stein. At the final whistle, a horrific crush developed on Stairway 13 - the quickest exit to the Copland Road tube station - and fans began to fall and suddenly became trapped as others fell on top of them. It turned into the blackest day in Rangers' history and the victims of that day shall never be forgotten. As has become tradition, a wreath will be laid at the memorial to the Ibrox Disaster victims and other supporters who have lost their lives at the stadium on the nearest home game to January 2. This year that falls today and the ceremony will take place ahead of the match. RIP
  20. http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=694&Itemid=2 In conjunction with our friends at Breedon Books, we have a couple of copies of the following fantastic book available to win. Temple of Dreams: The Changing Face of Ibrox By Iain Duff http://www.breedonbooks.co.uk/ For more than 100 years, Ibrox has been the home of Rangers Football Club. It has been the scene not only of some of this sporting institution's greatest triumphs, but also of two of the worst disasters in British football. An imposing ground that is rich in history and tradition, Ibrox also boasts state-of-the-art facilities that rank alongside the best in the world. Its wood-panelled entrance lobby and famous marble staircase evoke memories of a distant era, while the glittering trophy room inside the magnificent Main Stand tells the story of the club better than any words.But although Rangers have managed to preserve the traditions of the famous old stadium, much of the Ibrox of today bears little resemblance to the ground which opened in December 1899. This book charts, in words and pictures, the history of Ibrox, from the early days, through the creation of Archibald Leitch's stunning Main Stand in 1929, with its Masonic imagery, to the present day five-star facilities. Using official records and eye-witness accounts, it tells the story of the two Ibrox disasters that claimed a total of 92 lives, and tells how the second tragedy in 1971 resulted in a complete overhaul of the stadium and the creation of the most modern football ground in Britain, years ahead of its time. As well as the many football triumphs, the stadium has witnessed dozens of other events over the years, including the famous annual Ibrox Sports meeting created by the legendary manager Bill Struth. On one spectacular afternoon, seven world records were broken in one race on the Ibrox cinder track. The book also reveals the part played by famous figures like Buffalo Bill Cody, King George V, Winston Churchill, Eric Liddell, Billy Graham, Frank Sinatra and Elton John in the history of the stadium. Ibrox, which holds the record attendance for a League match in Britain, would of course be nothing more than a pile of bricks and mortar without the fans who breathe life into it every other Saturday. Here, supporters recall their memories of the stadium, from starting bonfires on the vast terraces to keep warm in the depths of winter, to donning customised hard-hats as protection from flying beer bottles in the 1960s, to the spectacular Champions League nights of the 21st century. A fascinating journey through the history of the club, Duff's absorbing narrative is charged throughout with the passion of the fans and the red-hot atmosphere in the ground. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Temple-Dreams-Changing-Face-Ibrox/dp/1859836690/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1225965439&sr=1-1 To win, just tell us who designed the stunning Ibrox main stand - pm me with your answer and you'll be entered into the draw to win one of the books! Entries accepted until midnight on Thursday 20th November. Admin decision is final.
  21. ... but a must read : Silence is not Green, White and Golden In December 1915, when I was seventeen and a half, I ran away from home to join the 4th Battalion East Surreys. I was under age so I had to lie to the recruitment sergeant. I said I was eighteen years old and my name was Sydney Harrison. I told the truth later though, because if Iââ?¬â?¢d been killed as Harrison, nobody would ever have known what happened to me. Arras was the first time I went over the top. We played football together as we went over. That was the tradition in the East Surreys. I remember the ball dropping at my feet and I passed it to Captain Maxwell. ââ?¬Ë?That was a good pass you made young Withers!ââ?¬â?¢ he shouted before he thumped it towards the German lines. I got wounded at the end of that battle. I was temporarily blinded in one eye but it could have been worse. At the end of the battle, I lay bleeding in a trench. There was blood coming out of my eye, pouring out all over my face. My head looked blown in. They thought I was dead and they were going to bury me. I was in a half-conscious state and I can remember a soldier getting hold of me and saying ââ?¬Å?Here ââ?¬â?? this blokes alive!ââ?¬â?¢ That man saved my life, by calling that out. Iââ?¬â?¢d have been buried alive in Arras, if it hadnââ?¬â?¢t been for him. Above, the words of Cecil Withers from the book ââ?¬Å?Last Post ââ?¬â?? The Final Word From Our First World War Soldiersââ?¬Â. Cecil recounts his time on the Western Front as a teenager fighting for our country. Last weekend 65 senior football matches were played in Great Britain. Prior to kick-off at 64 of them, fans of opposing clubs put aside their rivalries and stood silent in tribute to those brave men and women who gave their lives in service of our country. In the 65th senior game the mould was broken. Celtic Football Club spat in the face of common decency by instead hosting a minuteââ?¬â?¢s applause in recognition of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Think about it. Applause. For 20 million lives destroyed. Those of a Celtic persuasion couldnââ?¬â?¢t even bring themselves to admit who they were honouring. The Celtic Park Master of Ceremonies told the 55,000 crowd the minuteââ?¬â?¢s applause was to remember ââ?¬Å?the Celtic players who died in both World Warsââ?¬Â. He further stated that the clapping of hands to show respect for the dead is ââ?¬Å?the Celtic wayââ?¬Â. It most certainly is. Of course the increasingly incompetent Lex Gold of the SPL must shoulder part of the blame for the shame that this has heaped upon Scottish football. The option of a minuteââ?¬â?¢s applause as an alternative to the traditional silence should never have entered his distorted mind. In the name of decency it simply shouldnââ?¬â?¢t have been an option. Letââ?¬â?¢s not mince words here. This option was devised to save Celtic Football Club acute embarrassment. In decrying Gold, letââ?¬â?¢s not lose sight of who the real culprits are in this blackest of days for Scottish football. Celtic Football Club. Their directors and Chief Executive could and should have insisted they follow protocol. Their Chairman is a former Secretary for Defence for Godââ?¬â?¢s sake. They could and should have shown they cared and turned their backs on the hate-filled cretins amongst their support who intended disrupting proceedings. They could and should have requested police eject anyone breaking the silence from their stadium or arrest them for breach of the peace. But damage limitation, not decency and decorum, was order of the day and foremost in the minds of John Reid, Peter Lawwell and Co. ââ?¬Å?Keep the name of Celtic clean at all costsââ?¬Â the mantra once again. Thus they opted to shame themselves and their football club in the most contemptible way imaginable. Predictably the Celtic-minded apologists were at their pre and post-match best, deflecting and rewriting as only they can. On Saturday morning the Daily Record told us the minutes applause was introduced in Scotland after Hearts fans disrupted a silence for the Pope. Lies. The first minutes applause in Scotland took place at Ceptic Park in honour of the late great George Best. The reason? Best had made some derogatory remarks about Gerry Adams and the IRA in his Mail on Sunday column a year earlier, propmting outrage in Republican circles. The Celtic heirarchy knew any silence would be disrupted. At pains to propagate the increasingly risible ââ?¬Å?tiny-minorityââ?¬Â line, the media once again did Peter Lawwellââ?¬â?¢s bidding for him. Numbers for those who walked out of Celtic Park in protest against ââ?¬Å?British Imperialismââ?¬Â ranged from a few hundred to Hugh Keevinsââ?¬â?¢ ridiculous 20 figure. Mark Guidi in the Sunday Mail clawed hopelessly as he stated ââ?¬Å?a maximum of 80 Celtic fans left the stadiumââ?¬Â. How bloody desperate. Celtic of course refused to speak out, their work done for them. ââ?¬Å?Not worthy of commentââ?¬Â said a Celtic spokesman, just as 3500 of their fans singing loudly in tribute to their IRA heroes at Tynecastle the previous weekend had similarly been ââ?¬Å?not worthy of commentââ?¬Â. Are we really to believe that these same morons would have respected a silence one week on? The same Celtic supporters who had verbally abused poppy-sellers outside the Hearts stadium? The same Hearts who lost a whole first team in the fields of France during the Great War? Of course they would. We know exactly what would have happened, and Celtic knew too. Thousands of their clubs fans would have been shown up for exactly what they are ââ?¬â?? hate-filled, shameless anti-British fascists and racists. Keevins described the actions of the assembled throng of IRA sympathisers as ââ?¬Å?a serious embarrassment for us as a countryââ?¬Â. Wrong Mr. Keevins. They are a serious embarrassment to Ireland as a country, for these creatures are not Scottish or British, they are Irish. Ask them for yourself. On Saturday night I watched the Festival of Remembrance on BBC1. I sat in awe as Lance Corporal Mathew Croucher of 40 Commando Royal Marines was piped in carrying the Book of Remembrance, by Scottish soldiers. Lance Corporal Croucher had thrown his body across a live hand-grenade to save the lives of two of his comrades. Only his backpack saved him from being blown to pieces. He was awarded the George Cross for his bravery. I was reminded of Sergeant Michael Willets of 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment, husband and father, who threw himself on top of a hand-grenade tossed into Springfield Road Police Station Belfast by the IRA in 1971. Sergeant Willets gave his own life to save the lives of Catholic/Nationalist/Republican women and children sheltering in the station. He was posthumously awarded the George Cross. I continued to watch as British soldiers of all races, creeds and colours paid tribute to fallen comrades. I listened intently as Lt. Col. Joe Oââ?¬â?¢Sullivan 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment lamented the loss of three of his men in Iraq. The Lt. Col. could Iââ?¬â?¢m sure trace his roots back to Ireland should he so choose. This set me thinking. Why are people like Joe Oââ?¬â?¢Sullivan, and thousands of others like him, fully assimilated and proud of the adopted country of their ancestors, yet we in West-Central Scotland have the continual embarrassment and perpetual shame of those of Irish ancestry who despise us? The answer is Celtic Football Club. An organisation diseased to its core. In the beginning we had Marist Brother Walfrid introducing bigotry to football when founding the club ââ?¬Å?prompted by a fear that Protestant soup kitchens might tempt young Catholics into apostasyââ?¬Â and ââ?¬Å?worried about the dangers of young Catholics meeting Protestants in their place of employment or leisureââ?¬Â (Football historian Bill Murray from his book ââ?¬Å?The Old Firmââ?¬Â). Walfrid's co-recruitment agent for Celtic was a ******, Pat Welsh, on the run from Ireland suspected of murder. Choice company for a man of the cloth. This would of course be the same Walfrid that Celtic history books clearly document as leading the singing of Irish rebel songs in St Mary's Parish Hall, Glasgow, in November 1887. On to the opening ceremony for Celtic Park when the convicted ****** gun-runner and ââ?¬Å?embittered Irish Nationalist who was anti-British to the backboneââ?¬Â Michael Davitt laid the first piece of turf. Fast-forward to September 17th 1941, when the SFA closed Parkhead for a month because of Celtic fansââ?¬â?¢ ââ?¬Å?serious misbehaviour and pro-German chantsââ?¬Â. To the Falklands conflict when Ce ltic fans chanted ââ?¬Å?Argentina, Argentinaââ?¬Â and ââ?¬Å?Malvinas, Malvinasââ?¬Â in support of Galtieriââ?¬â?¢s fascist military dictatorship. Not forgetting 30 years of Provisional IRA support and the Celtic Board of Directorsââ?¬â?¢ insistence on P.A. broadcasts of dewy-eyed ballads ââ?¬Å?rebelling against the Crownââ?¬Â and featuring ââ?¬Å?let the people singââ?¬Â Irish Republican lyrics. I could add the Irish Republican vocalist at Jackie MacNamaraââ?¬â?¢s testimonial, the disruption of a minutes silence for a member of the Royal Family, Republican flute bands playing at testimonial matches, Celtic players singing IRA songsââ?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬Â¦.. I would also mention the dozens of ââ?¬Å?Celtic pubsââ?¬Â that are little more than meeting places and breeding grounds for terrorist sympathisers and what former Celtic chairman Fergus McCann so deftly described as ââ?¬Å?Celtic-minded Catholic bigotsââ?¬Â. Witness the IRA theme park that the Barrowlands ghetto of Glasgow has become with its Sinn Fein shops and public houses festooned in Irish Republican symbology. Shame on Glasgow City Council who seem happy to allow this area to expand.
  22. At last a statement that make's sense. POSITION STATEMENT ON ââ?¬Ë?THE FAMINE SONGââ?¬â?¢ Friday, 03 October 2008 POSITION STATEMENT ON ââ?¬Ë?THE FAMINE SONGââ?¬â?¢, ACCUSATIONS OF ââ?¬Ë?RACISMââ?¬â?¢ AND DR JOHN REIDââ?¬â?¢S SEPTEMBER 2008 LETTER TO THE CELTIC SUPPORT BACKGROUND The Board of the Rangers Supportersââ?¬â?¢ Trust believes that Celtic Chairman John Reidââ?¬â?¢s letter to his clubââ?¬â?¢s supporters in September 2008 referring to a four-line chant sung by Rangers fans (colloquially known as ââ?¬Ë?The Famine Songââ?¬â?¢) deserves a full and public response. We view Dr Reidââ?¬â?¢s letter as the latest salvo in a campaign largely based on misinformation and driven by a sectarian political agenda. Ideally a response to this nonsense would come from the Chairman of Rangers Football Club, but in the absence of this the Rangers Supportersââ?¬â?¢ Trust has no hesitation in absolutely rejecting accusations of ââ?¬Ë?racismââ?¬â?¢ made by Reid and other prominent Celtic apologists. RACISM Most impartial observers understand that racism is what was aimed at England player Emile Heskey in Zagreb on 10 September. Or closer to home, the shameful racist abuse aimed at Mark Walters at Celtic Park on 2 January 1988. ââ?¬Ë?Racismââ?¬â?¢ is not a wind-up, however distasteful, aimed at Scottish Celtic fans and in rejecting these specious accusations the Trust restates our opposition to racism and sectarianism, which stands comparison to any other similar body: The RST sponsors the Walter Tull Trophy, named in honour of the 1st black commissioned officer in the British Army and contested by Rangers and Spurs: The Trust has close links with the local Asian Community and sponsors a number of season tickets which give local kids the chance to attend and support Rangers; The Trust organised and hosted the 2007 ââ?¬Ë?Gers Prideââ?¬â?¢ Conference at Ibrox, involving high-profile speakers from Northern Ireland, Germany, academics and MPs in debate around positive aspects of identity and support; The Trust was closely involved in the successful ââ?¬Ë?self-policingââ?¬â?¢ initiative and has consistently sought to engage Rangers in meaningful dialogue with the Rangers support about culture, identity, behaviour and tradition; The sole external link on the RST website front page is for ââ?¬Ë?Show Racism The Red Card Scotlandââ?¬â?¢. SCOTS-IRISH COMMUNITY ISSUES Dr Reid is entirely wrong in stating that ââ?¬Ë?The Famine Songââ?¬â?¢ is ââ?¬Å?directed against the community of Irish descent in Scotlandââ?¬Â, if for no other reason than many of those Rangers fans who sing this song are themselves of Irish descent. That such an obviously fallacious statement is unchallenged exposes the sheer poverty of public debate on this issue. The Trust asserts that Dr Reid has no right to appoint himself as a spokesperson on behalf of Scots of Irish descent, or to speak for anyone except himself or the Football Club he works for. Dr Reidââ?¬â?¢s statement; ââ?¬Å?the Famine is non-sectarian and millions of people who died or were forced into mass emigration were from all faiths and traditions within Irelandââ?¬Â alsocontradicts his own assertion that the Famine Song is ââ?¬Ë?racistââ?¬â?¢. If a song refers to a ââ?¬Ë?non-sectarianââ?¬â?¢ event which affected ââ?¬Ë?all faiths and traditionsââ?¬â?¢, how can it possibly be racist ââ?¬â?? or sectarian, for that matter? The historical reality is that Scotland received relatively few immigrants from Ireland as a result of the Famine, the vast majority havingarrived before or long after.[1] Notwithstanding, Celtic FC choose to play two songs over the stadium PA on home match days referring to the Famine: ââ?¬Ë?The Fields of Athenryââ?¬â?¢ and ââ?¬Ë?Let the People Singââ?¬â?¢. The reasons for this are puzzling, but Dr Reidââ?¬â?¢s inflated rhetoric condemns a song which, far from being some sick ââ?¬Ë?celebrationââ?¬â?¢ of human tragedy is actually a mocking response to Celtic fans' tenuous, borderline obsessive, affiliations with the Republic of Ireland. As we demonstrate below, this is based predominantly on support for violent Irish Republicanism, the crudest anti-British rhetoric and a mentality rooted firmly in victimhood, regardless of the evidence. We believe such a position is no basis for making objective assessments about racism. TACKLING SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES 1) CELTIC FC The Trust believes that Dr Reidââ?¬â?¢s efforts would be better spent putting his own house in order. We note with great interest his statement that he will ââ?¬Å?condemn, without equivocation, the use of any chants or songs which can be interpreted as support for religious or ethnic hatred, or for acts of violence.ââ?¬Â The Trust fully supports Dr Reid in this laudable aim and believes it would be helpful to detail the following. Large sections of the Celtic support regularly indulge in vile chants celebrating the deaths of Rangers players such as Davie Cooper; laud the IRAââ?¬â?¢s sectarian murder gang with songs such as ââ?¬Ë?Boys Of The Old Brigadeââ?¬â?¢, ââ?¬Ë?Roll Of Honourââ?¬â?¢ and ââ?¬Ë?Sean South of Garryowenââ?¬â?¢; have Celtic Supporters Clubs named after IRA members such as Tom Williams; sing sectarian abuse at Rangers fans, employees and players, using phrases such as 'orange b*stards', 'huns' and 'animals'; celebrated the death of 66 innocent people in January 1971; sing ââ?¬Å?soon theyââ?¬â?¢ll be no Protestants at allââ?¬Â in their version of ââ?¬Ë?On The One Roadââ?¬â?¢; sing ââ?¬Å?and when the music stops, F*ck King Billy and John Knoxââ?¬Â and ââ?¬Å?Oh itââ?¬â?¢s great to be a Roman Catholicââ?¬Â in their version of ââ?¬Ë?Roaminââ?¬â?¢ In The Gloaminââ?¬â?¢; abuse members of the Royal Family; and sing that they hope a Roman Catholic Rangers player, Nacho Novo, is murdered in his bed by the IRA. These are not the actions of an inclusive organisation ââ?¬Ë?open to allââ?¬â?¢. This behaviour would, in any normal society, be worthy of at least the same level of political comment and sustained media scrutiny as the song at issue. Despite the best efforts of Messrs. Reid, Lawwell and their cheerleaders, these are far from the actions of a small minority and the Rangers support wishes Dr Reid every success in taking the ââ?¬Å?stringent actionââ?¬Â needed to tackle this abhorrent behaviour. 2) RANGERS FC We believe that if the Club had treated the original complaints about ââ?¬Ë?The Famine Songââ?¬â?¢ with the contempt they deserved, emanating as they did from the lunatic fringe of the Celtic support, ridiculous charges of ââ?¬Ë?racismââ?¬â?¢ would have evaporated. Dr Reidââ?¬â?¢s letter is not in our view about tackling problems of racism and sectarianism. It is a thinly-veiled attempt, supported by the usual suspects, to beat Rangers FC and Rangers fans with a convenient stick. Nor have Strathclyde Police or the Procurator Fiscal given any cogent reasons why this chant breaches legislation. The Trust takes this opportunity to make a public appeal to both the Chairman and the Chief Executive of Rangers FC. It is regrettable that a week after the Chief Executive issued an eloquent written plea for supporters to stop singing ââ?¬Ë?The Famine Songââ?¬â?¢ at the home tie against Motherwell, the away support sang the song loudly and frequently at Easter Road. Our view is that this is yet more evidence of the absence of meaningful relationships between the Clubââ?¬â?¢s senior leadership and the wider support, and the Trust repeats the offer it has made many times in private, to help build and develop such a relationship, essential if Club and support are to move forward together. We firmly believe for all those who love Rangers that self-regulation, an engagement based on shared values, around an inclusive common identity celebrating the best of our traditions and built on mutual respect, represents the only viable way forward. The sooner we start to identify that common ground and move together, the better for all parts of the Rangers family. (1) Brenda Collins in 'Irish Immigrants And Scottish Society' states that between the 1851 and 1871 census years, the number of Irish-born Scots remained virtually static at around 207,000. In the period 1876 to 1921, she states that some 94,000 Irish immigrants came to Scotland, with a considerable number from Ulster. In Graham Walker's book, 'Intimate Strangers', the 1931 Scottish census showed that the total number of Irish-born was then 124,296, 2.5% of the total population, with 55% of these born in what was now Northern Ireland. Immigration to Scotland during and following the First World War was heavily from the Republic. http://www.rangerssupporterstrust.co.uk/rstsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=234&Itemid=43
  23. "An online tool that claims to reveal the identity of organisations that edit Wikipedia pages has revealed that the CIA was involved in editing entries. Wikipedia Scanner allegedly shows that workers on the agency's computers made edits to the page of Iran's president. It also purportedly shows that the Vatican has edited entries about Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams. The tool, developed by US researchers, trawls a list of 5.3m edits and matches them to the net address of the editor. Wikipedia is a free online encyclopaedia that can be created and edited by anyone. Most of the edits detected by the scanner correct spelling mistakes or factual inaccuracies in profiles. However, others have been used to remove potentially damaging material or to deface sites. On the profile of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the tool indicates that a worker on the CIA network reportedly added the exclamation "Wahhhhhh!" before a section on the leader's plans for his presidency. A warning on the profile of the anonymous editor reads: "You have recently vandalised a Wikipedia article, and you are now being asked to stop this type of behaviour." Other changes that have been made are more innocuous, and include tweaks to the profile of former CIA chief Porter Goss and celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey. When asked whether it could confirm whether the changes had been made by a person using a CIA computer, an agency spokesperson responded: "I cannot confirm that the traffic you cite came from agency computers. "I'd like in any case to underscore a far larger and more significant point that no one should doubt or forget: The CIA has a vital mission in protecting the United States, and the focus of this agency is there, on that decisive work." The site also indicates that a computer owned by the US Democratic Party was used to make changes to the site of right-wing talk show host Rush Limbaugh. The changes brand Mr Limbaugh as "idiotic," a "racist", and a "bigot". An entry about his audience now reads: "Most of them are legally retarded." We really value transparency and the scanner really takes this to another level The IP address is registered in the name of the Democratic National Headquarters. A spokesperson for the Democratic Party said that the changes had not been made on its computers. Instead, they said that the "IP address is the same as the DCCC". The DCCC, or Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, is the "official campaign arm of the Democrats" in the House of Representatives and share a building with the party. "We don't condone these sorts of activities and we take every precaution to ensure that our network is used in a responsible manner," Doug Thornell of the DCCC told the BBC News website. Mr Thornell pointed out that the edit had been made "close to two years ago" and it was "impossible to know" who had done it. The site also indicates that Vatican computers were used to remove content from a page about the leader of the Irish republican party Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams. The edit removed links to newspaper stories written in 2006 that alleged that Mr Adams' fingerprints and handprints were found on a car used during a double murder in 1971. The section, titled "Fresh murder question raised" is no longer available through the online encyclopaedia. Wikipedia Scanner also points the finger at commercial organisations that have modified entries about the pages. One in particular is Diebold, the company that supplied electronic voting machines for the controversial US election in 2000. In October 2005, a person using a Diebold computer removed paragraphs about Walden O'Dell, chief executive of the company, which revealed that he had been "a top fund-raiser" for George Bush. A month later, other paragraphs and links to stories about the alleged rigging of the 2000 election were also removed. The paragraphs and links have since been reinstated. Diebold officials have not responded to requests by the BBC for information about the changes. " Now why would anyone at the Vatican have any reason to do this? Also why have the CIA been doing this.... some seriously dodgy stuff going on.
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