Graham Spiers - Hoist by his own petard

[Frankie 8,150]

http://www.gersnetonline.net/newsite/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=510&Itemid=1

 

It was with great astonishment ââ?¬â?? not to mention hilarity ââ?¬â?? that I read Graham Spiers in the journalistic wilderness of the 29,000 daily circulation of the Scottish arm of ââ?¬Ë?The Timesââ?¬â?¢ last week.

 

Once again we have this well-known liar giving us the usual sound-bites (for he said the same thing in a down market tabloid radio phone-in ââ?¬â?? what must the blessed Martin be thinking of that particular blasphemy?) about how Rangers are the big, bad bigoted boys (sic) of Scottish football. His usual unfounded rhetoric of Rangers having a ââ?¬Ë?significantly greaterââ?¬â?¢ problem with sectarianism than Celtic was again in evidence.

 

This time, these wholly unsubstantiated allegations were in reply to SFA Chief Executive Gordon Smithââ?¬â?¢s interesting comments in a new book which ââ?¬â?? ironically and unsurprisingly ââ?¬â?? contains Spiers making the same tedious accusations (which he calls truths) towards certain parts of the Rangers support.

 

Let�s get one thing straight right now. Gordon Smith is a respected ex-player; a well-read and educated man; and an ex-broadcaster with the kind of objective, insightful and honest views that a cowardly charlatan like Spiers can only dream about. Spiers� questioning of this man�s integrity is about as credible as Jim Traynor telling us how to pull women in night-clubs!

 

When Gordon Smith (interviewed earlier this year by Gersnet) spoke about agendas I have no doubt it was Graham Spiers that led his way of thinking. While Spiers (and his supporters) may claim partiality and balance, it�s easy to prove them wrong (and Smith right) by just a quick use of the internet facilities at News International.

 

Perform a quick search of Spiers� recent articles about the sectarianism subject and one will find several columns rightly criticising a small element of the Rangers away support adding on F-T-P at Inverness in the first game of the season. Of course he wasn�t the only journalist discussing the subject and in many ways I�m glad they did. Gersnet, like the huge majority of Rangers fans, deplores our fine traditional songs being spoiled by the kind of lyric that has no place in football. As such, the early warnings for our support and the excellent pro-active measures then put into place by the vigilant Rangers fan groups means, since that first game, our home and away support have had no problems with bigotry. None.

 

Itââ?¬â?¢s this kind of positive self-examination and policing of our own minority of fans that deserves much praise from all quarters. Spiers himself has suggested as much, while all the authorities (UEFA, SPL, SFA and Strathclyde Police) have also expressed delight at the eradication of the offensive add-ons from our support. Great strides ââ?¬â?? although further hard work and caution must be applied to ensure our support remains one of the best and proudest in world football. Of course weââ?¬â?¢re not without our faults but we proved over the last 2 years we are up to the challenge of admitting them, facing them and removing them.

 

Conversely, this season has seen other clubs come to the fore with regard to ââ?¬Ë?discriminatory chantingââ?¬â?¢. Motherwell faced investigation for racist chanting while Celtic remains the only club to have had arrest(s) for sectarian breach of the peace. Add to that their songs about ââ?¬Ë?hunsââ?¬â?¢ (deemed a sectarian term by Nil by Mouth) aimed at Hearts and Dundee fans as well as the usual hymns of support for sectarian terrorist organisations, means the bigotry issue is not obviously restricted to Rangers and their support.

 

As such, one would expect Graham Spiers (for he claims he does not have an agenda) to have fully discussed and condemned these high-profile examples of a sectarian industry which has made him a pretty pound over the years. Performing another quick search of his articles this season finds no such pieces. Nothing about the arrest of Celtic fans. Nothing about the vast majority of the Parkhead support singing ââ?¬Ë?Go Home Ya Hunsââ?¬â?¢ to Hearts fans. Nothing of the IRA glorification by the Celtic away support at Dundee in the CIS Cup last month. Nothing about Motherwell fans allegedly aiming racist taunts at black players for the second time this year.

 

How can that possibly be? Surely Spiers ââ?¬â?? who revels in his sectarian crusader image ââ?¬â?? would be at the forefront of calls for censure towards these clubs? Why donââ?¬â?¢t we have exclusive insider comments from UEFA committee members (why did Spiers get them before other journalists one wonders?) informing us of discipline to the clubs? As someone who takes offence at Gordon Smithââ?¬â?¢s allegations of agendas why exactly has Graham Spiers not written about these other issues?

 

At the very least; allegations of Rangers having a ââ?¬Ë?significantly greaterââ?¬â?¢ problem appear completely at odds with the current evidence. As such, one must join Gordon Smith in questioning why Spiers (and others to be fair) has largely ignored some of the above issues.

 

I�m sure we could go on exposing Spiers for his complete lack of credibility in these matters. Unfortunately, it pains me enough already to highlight this imposter once again. I�d much rather ignore his rantings but as long as Spiers� lies and imbalance reaches the same number of online viewers as Gersnet does, we�ll continue to objectively, honestly and openly debate his claims.

 

Furthermore and most importantly, we�ll provide facts and evidence for our opinion - unlike Spiers who resorts to penning the same lies; the same childish insults and; the same biased, inaccurate and agenda Gordon Smith so correctly told us about. The best thing about this whole recent issue is Spiers being shown up for his own imbalance by his own startling lack of input to non-Rangers negative stories. It makes his pitiful defence last week all the more embarrassing.

 

As such, Gersnet joins the ever-growing list of Scottish people laughing at this particular discredited corduroy crusader�s demise.

 

Graham Spiers ââ?¬â?? a liar and a coward.

[Guest Jimenez]

Hello Frankie, as you know I totally agree

 

Spiers is biblocanic plague, he is performing his job superbly