Neil Cameron on the Rangers support

[BEARGER 1,829]

24th July

Neil Cameron: Rangers couldn't ignore how their support has changed

 

By Neil Cameron

Gers fans these days have changed from their intolerant history

 

IT is 30 years since a day-late Scottish newspaper told a 16-year-old holidaying in Malta that Mo Johnston had signed for Rangers.

A phone call home, which was half my spending budget, confirmed news so sensational that only those around at the time could even attempt to describe what it meant to Scotland.

Super Mo was the first high-profile Catholic to sign for Rangers, thus ending an unwritten but well-adhered-to signing policy of those in charge at Ibrox asking what school a would-be player went to; although it’s transpired since that a few left-footers slipped through.

“It is a sad day for Rangers,” so said Rangers Supporters Association general secretary, David Miller, in 1989. “Why sign him above all others? There will be a lot of people handing in their season tickets. I don’t want to see a Roman Catholic at Ibrox. It really sticks in my throat.”

 

Never mind the throat, Miller’s brain was stuck in the 1800s. He was also wrong. There was no boycott. The ticket office wasn’t open 24 hours to deal with folk handing back their season books. The average Rangers supporter worked out that their club had got one over Celticand signed one of the best strikers in British football.

 

What section of Christianity the bold Mo, never a great church-goer it must be said, was brought up in mattered not a jot to most.

Catholics have played, captained and managed at Ibrox and yet I still see Rangers as a Protestant institution. That’s not a criticism, by the way. But as a club, Rangers have found it harder to shrug off what a section of their support sing, blog and tweet with regards to some of the old ways which, to right-minded people, belong in the past.

Those who see nothing good within the Rangers support, and remember it’s the biggest in Scotland, have an image of the shaven head, earring, tattoo, wearing an ill-fitting replica strip and whose politics are to the right of Klaus Barbie.

And you do see them about. You hear them, mostly at away games, and social media can feel dominated by the pro-Katie Hopkins brigade who boast of their love of Rangers more than anything. However, that’s not the bluenoses I know and have hung around with for years.

Left-leaning, Atheist, some from Catholic backgrounds, working class, middle class, funny, smart, some want independence while others don’t. They are into music, films, food and, of course, the famous Glasgow Rangers.

They do not spend their day listening to Loyalist battle songs. Some, whisper it, aren’t all that keen on the royal family.

 

Are they anti-Catholic or anti-Irish? No, and I wouldn’t spent time with bigots from all sides if I can possibly help it. That is why the bigots think we all think the same way. It’s because the only people happy to be in their company share the same poisonous views.

I hate to break it to those who view Rangers as the baddies with no redeeming features but most punters go along to Ibrox, take in the game, then go home again. Just like everyone else.

As one Bear put it to me: “We get blamed for everything. I know the Rangers support can let us all down but it’s not as if the rest of us go about punching kittens.”

I was at Ibrox on Monday for the launch of Rangers’ new diversity and inclusion campaign, which hopes to show Rangers are the place for you regardless of background, sexuality, faith, disability etc.

“Everyone, Anyone,” was the message. Good on them. This was no box-ticking exercise. A lot of work has gone into it by good people who love Rangers and would rather like a few more to fall in love, no matter who they are.

The reaction was predictable from non-Rangers fans. The usual “Ah whatabout” began and will still be going. At least they are doing something. They had to. Not because it’s the right thing but because the Rangers support has changed.

There are 10s of thousands going to games every week who would rather some of the old songs weren’t belted out. They cringe when a chant goes up about the Lisbon Lions dying. They are less than proud of what led to 2012, and quite a few things which happened afterwards.

And yet they watch their team, go back home to a partner who may well be of the other persuasion, and many of their friends will be. The world keeps spinning.

The playwright Alan Bisset, whose politics are of the left and he’s in favour of independence, is also big Rangers fan.

This is what he said a few years ago when discussing Rangers from a cultural perspective.

“Scotland has changed, Scottish nationalism is in the ascendancy and if you are a Unionist diehard you will feel under siege. There is that terror of no longer being relevant, of losing control.

“The cliched response is when Yes folk say: ‘How can you be a Rangers fan and support independence?’ – I am and can. I am frustrated at all Rangers supporters being lumped together.”

Rangers fans I know have no problem voting SNP, being one of those soppy liberals, having their kids at the other school and at the same time wanting their team to win trophies.

And they would like as many people as possible to join their gang. Who cares who they sleep with, what they do on a Sunday or if their second cousin, twice removed, once went on a date with Charlie Nicholas.

The Rangers support these days is a broad church. They like the idea of the person sitting beside them at the match not being from the usual “proddie” background.

As long as they support the team. Most of us have worked out it’s all that matters.

 

    

 

 

Edited July 25, 2019 by BEARGER

[Gonzo79 13,541]

Is Neil Cameron a teenager?  He writes like one.

[26th of foot 5,825]

Neil is constantly in therapy.

[Bluedell 5,329]

I like going to the football with like-minded individuals. 

 

I want to be able to sit with people that share my views on how the SNP are targeting our club, for example and that the rise of Nationalism is severely damaging our  our country.

 

That doesn't make me a bigot.

[der Berliner 3,217]

I know that whataboutery doesn`t help often, but I would like to read a similar article by Mr. Cameron on the Yahoos.  And not with regards with child abuse, even though he may add another article on that topic too. Just to see whether he has some balance.

[Gaffer 1,665]

For what it's worth, I actually enjoyed his article.  I don't agree with all of it, but it was entertaining and in my opinion largely correct.

[Gonzo79 13,541]

"The playwright Alan Bisset, whose politics are of the left and he’s in favour of independence, is also big Rangers fan.

This is what he said a few years ago when discussing Rangers from a cultural perspective.

“Scotland has changed, Scottish nationalism is in the ascendancy and if you are a Unionist diehard you will feel under siege. There is that terror of no longer being relevant, of losing control."

 

How does Cameron define the term 'big Rangers fan'?  Does Bisset attend every match?  Is he a regular at Ibrox?  Or is he a 'big fan' who sometimes watches Rangers on TV and likes to pontificate to tabloid journalists about the make-up of our support?

[cooponthewing 1,139]

The irony of Cameron discussing relevance?

[Devil's advocaat 1,275]

I have no interest in my fellow Rangers fans views on anything other than Rangers, I wouldn't expect them to have the same political and cultural opinions that I do, in the same way I wouldn't expect them to agree with my ideas of team selection, tactics, signings etc.

 

We are a broad church, I really couldn't give a flying fuck whether you're Female, Black, Gay, Greek Orthodox, whatever, all are welcome in my eyes.

 

There are other sporting institutions where the fans are expected to have certain narrow views, lets not be that club.

[Tannochsidebear 2,306]

So this chunt attends the Everyone Anyone launch and goes to write a piece about this for his failing rhag of a paper, and manages to includes lies about Johnston being the first high-profile RC, including supposed quotes from a RSA official that I do recall from the time or have ever heard of since, confirms we are still a Protestant institution, slags our fans songbook, ridicules our collective politics as being worse than the Nazis, In over 30 years of going to just about every game Rangers play I have never seen a Nazi or any Nazi flags, banners etc, but somehow he says he sees them around all the time. 

 

I could go on but I have lost the will to do so with this utter tripe.

 

Suffice to say that we spend a fortune to launch this campaign, invite the journos along, and then the write another negative piece about Rangers fans whcih barely mentions the campaign and tells you nothing about it.

 

Why do we let people like this to have free access to our club?