Rangers signing policy until 1986 and Athl. Bilboa

[Max Rebo's Big Blue Nose 0]

Something different from all the takeover stuff...

 

Over the last few months we've had the subject of Rangers previous signing policy popping up on phone ins by obsessed celtic fans as they sadly try to drag every piece of our history to the forefront for scrutiny (hey it's the in thing at the moment...) Anyway this got me thinking... Manchester Utd are playing Athletic Bilboa tonight and the Basque team famously had a signing policy that only employed Basque born players. Can someone tell me what is different from that and our rather archaic signing policy? I am only asking as I cannot recall Bilboa getting that much criticism for their form selelctive employment?

 

I'll put my cards on the table. I'm an atheist and have zero attachment to any religion. Ultimately, I'm glad we don't have a restrictive signing policy and we can employ people from all relisgions/creeds/cultures but if previous Rangers' signing policy was "spun" in the same way as the Bilboa model. eg. Rangers are a club for Scottish Protestants and follow this model to maintain this culture etc. would people have been less critical? Would that have made it a more positive policy? Could it not have been spun as a Pro-Protestant club and that meant that Catholics could not play (given the origins of Protestantism). There are sports clubs/associations throughout the world that are Jewish, Muslim, catholic etc. so what was the difference?

 

The thing that makes chuckle is the fact that I'm pretty positive that Celtic fans would be the first to support Bilboa's right to adopt this policy and maintain their identity/culture (they are keen on Basque flags after all...)

 

As I said I'm not religious and I'm glad we sign who we want now (when we have money...) but sometimes I get tired of this just being another stick to beat Rangers with.

 

I would be interested to hear other views on the comparison with Bilboa

[alexscottislegend 2,107]

I've often wondered that myself. Remember very clearly when we beat Bilbao in 1969 4-1 in one of our best ever Euro performances. With the EU equality rules are they still implementing that Basque only policy? Surely it's now outlawed under discrimination laws? The only connection Keltic have to Athletic is they IRA/ETA factor - as you say it's pretty ironic.

Problem also is that Jock Stein and Danny McGrain (and K Dalglish) were Protestants, so they always beat us with that stick. It did handicap us, no doubt and I'm glad it's ended. We should never be ashamed of it being part of our tradition though.

[Max Rebo's Big Blue Nose 0]

I've often wondered that myself. Remember very clearly when we beat Bilbao in 1969 4-1 in one of our best ever Euro performances. With the EU equality rules are they still implementing that Basque only policy? Surely it's now outlawed under discrimination laws? The only connection Keltic have to Athletic is they IRA/ETA factor - as you say it's pretty ironic.

Problem also is that Jock Stein and Danny McGrain (and K Dalglish) were Protestants, so they always beat us with that stick. It did handicap us, no doubt and I'm glad it's ended. We should never be ashamed of it being part of our tradition though.

 

Agreed. I think it's just funny how things are spun. People would cry fowl as we didn't employ Catholics but that could have been easily turned around and we could have been a pro-Protestant club, supporting young Protestants in Scotland etc. That's what other cultures do and no one seems to bother?

[Juancornetto 1]

Good read Rebo, lot's of good points in there but the most relevant I'd say is the perception of what is and what isn't "wrong". I will never defend the signing policy and let's be clear....we had a de facto signing policy of not signing openly Catholic players (although we did have a few low profile examples dotted throughout history) however I think it became a two way street later on with Catholics simply not wanting to be seen to join the Rangers and so it continued.

 

The Bilbao example is interesting given the confused ones admiration of Basque separatist politics and of ETA's use of terrorism as a bargaining tool, I guess they feel a kind of symbiosis with these peoples. You could be forgiven for thinking that indeed there are parallels between Basque and Irish Republican but it is only a cosmetic one. There are generations of Basque descended people living and working in the other Spanish regions and they do not feel the need to grotesquely distort their identity to such an extent that it becomes a weapon to be utilised whenever they feel marginalised or discriminated against. Anybody who did use their Basque roots in that way would be castigated by their families and made to feel like traitors to those roots. They tend to keep it very much "in house" and choose to respect their host region rather than bite the hand that feeds "morder la mano que alimenta".

 

Bilbao's signing policy was widely criticised in Spain and was the subject of many political debate but the feeling was very much that in the Basque reqion they can do what they want providing it does not spill over the Pyreness into King Juan Carlos's realm. So it follows that the club's fans sing whatever they want in Bilbao but when travelling to away games the songs are not sung that might upset their hosts. Compare and contrast....

 

I am of Spanish (Andalucian) descent, (my grandmother was from Cadiz) and so I take more than a passing interest in Spanish culture and politics and this contrast fascinates me. Question is - At what point did it become acceptable for Republican/Catholic views to be used as weapons? Does it not tell you that at some point all respect for their precious roots have been lost? And when did it become something to be ashamed of being a Scots Protestant? Answers on a postcard.

[Guest Smug Bluenose]

Would Rocky Bilboa be allowed to play for them ?

 

(Sorry, somebody had to say it. )

[laudrup11 0]

A good read mate and many valid points.

 

Was there not the debate about Zenit being allowed a European license recently as they had a policy of not signing black players ?

 

Our previous signing policy only gets air time here in Scotland its just another of their agendas, endorsed by Superscoreboard and others

[Max Rebo's Big Blue Nose 0]

Would Rocky Bilboa be allowed to play for them ?

 

(Sorry, somebody had to say it. )

 

Ooppps! How do you change the title?? What a deek I am....

[Jim1955 12]

Hibs, originally formed in 1875, stopped playing in 1891. They reformed in 1893 with one important change, players were no longer required to be members of the "Catholic Young Mens Society". There must have been a large amount of similar club rules across Europe at one time. Times have changed and we have moved on, it's a pity others haven't kept up.