Top 50 Rangers players- Graham Spiers

[Cotter 0]

P.S Great anti Corduroy rant of precisely the sort I was after to get the old blood boiling whilst I await our blue chip signings!:spl:

[Zappa 0]

Sorry lads, but it's actually Spiers who's the angler & imo he's actually pretty accomplished at it. I hate to say it, but he's almost becoming an expert at bringing out the worst in online Bears with the publishing of a single article (referring to the use of foul language and real bigotry in response to his articles across the forums). It makes me sick to see so many Bears taking his bait. Calling him all the names under the sun won't make this 'person' go away. In fact many of our online responses to his drivel actually justify his warped writings, which is a fixable problem.

[Frankie 8,148]

Shroomz:

 

I agree there's no doubt Spiers is fishing when he writes certain articles nowadays. Equally, some of our fans react too quickly to give him what he wants to try and justify what he writes.

 

However, I must admit I don't see much real bigotry as you call it in these reactions. Just frustration which is understandable given this is a broadsheet writer (I use that term loosely) who is being permitted to use a respected newspaper as some sort of playground tool in debating.

 

It is easy to say ignore him (and this is usually sound advice) but Spiers is a dangerous foe and one we must monitor carefully.

[Zappa 0]

Shroomz:

 

I agree there's no doubt Spiers is fishing when he writes certain articles nowadays. Equally, some of our fans react too quickly to give him what he wants to try and justify what he writes.

 

However, I must admit I don't see much real bigotry as you call it in these reactions. Just frustration which is understandable given this is a broadsheet writer (I use that term loosely) who is being permitted to use a respected newspaper as some sort of playground tool in debating.

 

It is easy to say ignore him (and this is usually sound advice) but Spiers is a dangerous foe and one we must monitor carefully.

 

Frankie, many of the reactions to Spiers articles are definitely bigoted on the FF & RM forums, but my point wasn't to vilify the response to his articles, more to point out that perhaps there's Bears out there that don't realize they're playing into his hands & the hands of those like him. This I think, is a very valid point. I'm far from being in a position to call anyone a bigot on a Rangers forum, but that's due to the fact that on most forums I'd make myself an outcast simply by suggesting the fact. On FF I'd be cast out as a t*m or a ta*g, on RM (which I prefer to FF) I'd be branded as a more politically correct 'bad smell', 'dubious character' or 'someone in need of being watched'. Despite the fact that these matters don't keep me up at night, I've got to say that it does bother me that we have a bigoted & sectarian element in our club that are taboo to talk about, simply because of what is (IMO) complete denial. I do respect everyone's opinion though.

[pete 2,499]

Frankie, many of the reactions to Spiers articles are definitely bigoted on the FF & RM forums, but my point wasn't to vilify the response to his articles, more to point out that perhaps there's Bears out there that don't realize they're playing into his hands & the hands of those like him. This I think, is a very valid point. I'm far from being in a position to call anyone a bigot on a Rangers forum, but that's due to the fact that on most forums I'd make myself an outcast simply by suggesting the fact. On FF I'd be cast out as a t*m or a ta*g, on RM (which I prefer to FF) I'd be branded as a more politically correct 'bad smell', 'dubious character' or 'someone in need of being watched'. Despite the fact that these matters don't keep me up at night, I've got to say that it does bother me that we have a bigoted & sectarian element in our club that are taboo to talk about, simply because of what is (IMO) complete denial. I do respect everyone's opinion though.

 

You should hear what we call you behind the scenes on here makes FF look like Florence Nighingale.

 

 

Just kidding.

[Super_Ally 0]

Whilst I wouldn't suggest there is no one within our wider support who holds bigoted or sectarian views, they are in the minority and in any case can you be bigoted or sectarian against one individual in Speirs? He deserves all he gets in terms of verbal abuse.

 

He is and has been one of the biggest problems in stirring up and worsening the sectarianism debate despite his pretence at a crusader against it. If you only accuse one side of wrong doing you are in now way tackling the problem and by completely ignoring the ills of one side you are exacerbating the problem.

[bmck 117]

the only thing worse than a bigot is someone who earns a living exaggerating and provoking it (or providing it justification) by unfair and disproportionate criticism. its like someone who comes down hard on islamic fundamentalism dishing out wholesale and unfair criticism of islam as a whole while giving some aspects token and insincere approval; it just embattles people, and its intentional. i prefer people who think islam is a bckwards medieval religion and dismiss its followers to ones who give it token praise to mask their hatred. obviously an accurate picture is what is most needed, but when that is failing i would prefer an honest one, even if its full blown hatred. an honest hatred of rangers would be preferable to the insidious approach of spiers. that said, shroomz is right - condescention, or pitty, is the most appropriate response to his sort - anger is what he is after.

Edited July 8, 2009 by bmck

[26th of foot 5,829]

When Fergie moved to Dunfermline, there was a notorious 0-0 draw at East End Park against Spiers green'n'grey heroes. Fergie was routinely abused in a sectarian manner. MON was indignant after the game, saying Fergie was old and big enough to take all sorts of abuse.

 

Now, the full attention of any Hack should have been on MON's refusal to deal with the specifics of the sectarian nature of the abuse. Spiers lead the charge of mitigation, his Herald report included the line, "Ian Ferguson has all the charm of a child molestor".

 

At that point Spiers lost any right to stand on the moral high ground and pontificate on sectarianism in Scottish football. He was at the game, he witnessed it, he chose to stay in MON's good books and run interference.

 

At the end of that season, ra Sellik rewarded all on-message journos with a slap up bash at One Devonshire Gardens. All the usual suspects were in attendance, Glenn Gibbons, McCara, Kevin McKenna, Keevins, Cooney, Delahunt, ...............etc Spiers was invited too and attended.

 

Spiers deserves every ridicule aimed at him, he has appeared twice on TV, on Scotsport and on Tam Cowan's Offside. On both occasions he regaled the audience with a medley of Elton John melodies. Spiers is a graduate of Divinity, his old man is/was a Baptist Minister; he knows the devil is in the detail. Thus, "Ian Ferguson has all the charm of a child molestor", what's his motivation for such a statement?

[Norris Cole 0]

A lot of good posts in this thread.

[Cotter 0]

A lot of good posts in this thread.

 

Yep, best thread this transfer window I'll give you that.