TRS - Jim Spence's Rangers Jibes

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Is this him?

 

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Yes, that's Jum Spence.

[ian1964 10,411]

Speirs: Mind your Language with Rangers

 

A section of Rangers supporters feel deeply aggrieved, and much of it is justified. Their club was betrayed and ruined by a rogues' gallery of dodgy geezers, and terrible damage was done.

 

The problem is, many of these same supporters originally gave their backing to some of these characters. I was outside Ibrox on May 7 2011 when Craig Whyte rode into town. If some Rangers fans that day had waved palm branches along Edmiston Drive they couldn't have looked more exuberant in their welcome.

 

Egged on by the Daily Record, which repeatedly fawned to Whyte and fatuously hailed him "a billionaire", a seed was being sown which would have catastrophic consequences.

 

When liquidation finally came to Rangers, an eruption of bitterness and casting around for blame broke out, and it continues to this day. Just ask Jim Spence, a BBC Scotland journalist, who has recently copped much flak.

 

Spence's "crime" was an odd one. On Radio Scotland last week he blithely spoke words on air which a wide range of Scottish football observers, businessmen, insolvency people and more would have taken for granted. Spence referred to the liquidated Rangers Football Club plc as "the club that died".

 

Amid this furnace of ill-feeling, for many Rangers supporters this is a detested and deeply hurtful phrase. And it fairly roused them to action. Over 400 Rangers fans complained to BBC Scotland, who duly issued an apology for any offence that may have been taken.

 

Rangers and their director of communication, James Traynor, leapt into action by issuing their own statement, appearing to warn that the club's lawyers might get involved over a journalist such as Spence daring to use such words as "a dead club".

 

Traynor should certainly know all about that. Last year, still working as a Daily Record columnist, this is what he himself wrote: "Rangers as we know them died. Rangers FC are dead."

 

If, as Jim and Rangers are threatening, their lawyers go to war over Spence, it would surely count as the most farcical piece of litigation ever seen in Scottish football. For the sake of Rangers' own head of communication, one must hope the legal pursuit is not retrospective.

 

The context of Spence and the BBC will have to be worked out separately. In recent months, the BBC Trust set out guidelines for referring to "old" and "new" Rangers, and held that the BBC in Scotland had failed to be precise in this.

 

But a wider point is more intriguing: are journalists, reporters and commentators really to be hounded for referring to the liquidated Rangers as "the old Rangers"?

 

There has been something sinister about the way Jim Spence has been treated, given that many would argue he merely stated the bleedin' obvious.

 

Perhaps Spence and Traynor, in their separate ways, were trying to be controversial or provocative in their remarks. In which case, controversy can have its place, just as it must also be counter-challenged, such as here.

 

Where the exegetical fog exists is when, in debating the sins of the old Rangers regime, people seek to distinguish between the club then and now.

 

It inevitably needs a phrase such as "old" or "oldco" or "original" Rangers or some such delineation. The very language, though, makes some Rangers fans livid.

 

It is proving a painful subject. Some have argued that it shouldn't matter; that even for ardent Rangers supporters, the club is here, it plays at Ibrox, it has the same name, the same strip, the same lustre. Why, it has been asked, make such a song and dance?

 

But I've discovered this won't wash. For some Rangers fans it is an emotional agony to think of their precious club being dissolved last year - the notion is simply not for consideration.

 

The famed phrase "it was the company, not the club, which went bust" was born roundabout the spring of 2012, when liquidation became a certainty, and has been clung to ever since by fans. And hell mend anyone - and certainly any pesky hack - who dares to differ.

 

This has been a very painful experience for Rangers. And the venom and anger are showing no signs of abating.

[ian1964 10,411]

BBC Scotland presenter Jim Spence to remain with backing of management and NUJ after Rangers comments abuse

 

 

BBC Scotland presenter Jim Spence will not leave his position and has been given the full support of BBC Scotland and the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) following the abuse he has received over comments he made about Rangers FC on air. The Drum has learned that Spence, a long time sports reporter for BBC Scotland, based in Dundee, has faced a torrent of abuse on Twitter, email and even through text in reaction to comments he made while discussing the board of Rangers. While discussing new additions to the Rangers board, Spence is quoted to have said: “John McLelland, who was chairman of the old club, some people will tell you the club, well the club that died, possibly coming back in terms of the new chairman.” BBC Scotland is understood to have received over 400 complaints in relation to the comments and is said to have informed complainants that Spence could have better phrased his point. It had been rumoured that Spence has considered accepting voluntary redundancy as a result of the reaction over the last week. The Drum understands that Spence today (Tuesday 10 September) met with management at BBC Scotland and has been given their full backing, while they have begun steps to combat the abuse he has received and taken action against those responsible, although it is not yet clear what action that is. It's also understood that BBC Scotland will oppose a ruling by the BBC Trust that they breached accuracy guidelines in reporting the financial collapse of Rangers Football Club in 2012. Paul Holleran, NUJ organiser for Scotland, told The Drum that he was happy with the steps that BBC Scotland had taken: “The BBC has offered its total support to Jim. We do not condone the vile and disgusting emails and texts that he has received and find it totally unacceptable that a journalist has been treated in this way.” BBC Scotland has declined to comment, stating that it did not comment on individual members of staff.

 

Read more at http://www.thedrum.com/news/2013/09/10/bbc-scotland-presenter-jim-spence-remain-backing-management-and-nuj-after-rangers#B7YCi5o9RWCz4kyf.99

[54andcounting 0]

Why do the Rangers haters continue to write and attempt to justify their bile?

 

Sack the lot.

[54andcounting 0]

If I was King...I'd have a ball during 'head chopping' but I'm not King I'm an angry Rangers fan who's fed up with pishy Scottish writers like Speirs and English.

Get something else to write about ya bunch of bigoted pricks!!

[ian1964 10,411]

[RANGERRAB 3,258]

For as long as the BBC continue to be funded by a mandatory annual licence fee we have the right to demand accurate, unbiased broadcasts. It seems to me the BBC Scotland cannot hope to achieve this if they continue to employ the likes of Spence, Cosgrove etc who have an anti-Rangers bias for which they use the BBC Scotland to air this bias. This cannot be allowed to continue & I hope we pursue them until we get the desired result i.e. the removal of these cretins from their positions within BBC Scotland

[andy steel 0]

What could have been a victory heads rapidly for a defeat.

 

Chapeau to the morons on twitter using religion to abuse Spence, as well. Really showed the club & fans up in a great light, that.

[amms 0]

The closing of ranks by journalists on this has been telling. If Spence has been subjected to 'vile and disgusting emails and texts' that's regrettable and should be condemned. However, as a football journalist working in Scotland I very much doubt it's the first time he has been subjected to this, indeed it does seem to come with the territory, I've seen many a sport journo laugh them off and make light of them, part of the job was the feeling given. Why Spence has been particularly 'hurt' this time only he knows.

 

It's a diversion though, because if he did receive communications like that he undoubtedly also received many that were considered, thoughtful, to-the-point and angry but not in anyway vile or disgusting, I've read plenty of them on Twitter for example, and they should be addressed. Plus he's happy to commend those who react the 'other way' and congratulate him for his views, and let's be frank Spence knows his constituency and he always plays to the gallery. If you court it you should be able to take it.

 

Spence is trolling, but he's the worst kind in that he uses his position to have a dig knowing it will upset some then cries foul when people get upset. I had to tell off my five-year old last week because along with his friends he was antagonising a boy in primary three knowing the lad would get angry and chase them. Needless to say the lad eventually caught one of them and hurt him. The older lad got into trouble with the school but it was the younger kids that provoked him I blame. Spence reminds me of my son saying he only did it because all of the other boys were and they were only joking anyway, the older lad should have realised that. As I explained he might think it's funny but the other lad didn't, it upset him, and I think they knew it would upset him.

 

Actions have consequences, Spence's personal feelings on our club shouldn't cloud his professional conduct. His producers, his directors and himself knew that phrase would provoke a reaction, knew it had already been adjudicated on and knew it shouldn't be used. Crying over it later simply underlines the childishness of the whole industry.

[True_Ger_1872 2]

It seems that all the "journalists" with a bias towards Rangers have managed to pull of this coup by getting BBC Scotland on the side of Jim Spence. Not convinced this one will be a good battle for us as we should know well by now that these guys wont let up whatsoever.

 

I think the club should most definately stand firm on their media bans for the BBC and any of the motely crue such as Spence, Cosgrovre Speirs, English et al should be shown the door for a long time!