Rangers Fans shortchanged by Catalan authorities?

[Super_Ally 0]

From 4-4-2 magazine.

 

Bhoys fans benefit from Rangers' visit to Catalonia

 

Wednesday 05 March 2008 14:43

Every metro station in Barcelona carries several illuminated posters advertising Manchester. It�s part of an airline promotion and a fine-looking shot of the city makes it look more Lisbon than Lowry in an attempt to persuade Catalans to visit.

 

Barca fans wouldn�t need any such inducement to go there if their team is paired with Manchester United in Friday�s Champions League quarter-final draw.

 

Barcelona is just recovering from its invasion by Celtic supporters. Unlike the 21,000 Rangers travelling fans in Catalonia last November, the 12,000 who came to cheer on Celtic have received positive media coverage, despite there being little discernible difference in their behaviour.

 

What changed is that Celtic fans benefited from Rangers visit. The Catalan authorities were not ready for the number of Rangers supporters who constituted the largest ever following in a European away game for a British club in a non-final match. Rangers fans were short changed by authorities happy to take their money, but unwilling to provide the infrastructure their presence required.

 

Rangers fans were criticised for urinating in the square at Placa Catalunya. Celtic fans weren�t because scores of portable toilets had been installed.

 

Unsurprisingly, the numerous Irish bars in Barcelona either closed or employed heavy security for the visit of Rangers. For Celtic fans they issued commemorative t-shirts and stuck up posters of Jimmy Johnstone. A special fan zone was created for the Celtic contingent outside the city centre; Rangers fans faced lines of nervous police.

 

There were many ironic scenes, such as ââ?¬Ë?dangerousââ?¬â?¢ protestant Rangers fans singing sectarian songs in those Irish bars which did stay open, while ââ?¬Ë?friendlyââ?¬â?¢ Celtic fans loudly eulogised the IRA in those same bars months later ââ?¬â?? not that the Catalans, who view noisy inebriation as weakness and not a virtue, were aware of the nuances of fan culture. Well, apart from those who unfurled a giant Irish tricolour to agitate the Rangers fans.

 

The sheer size of the travelling support from both clubs was impressive and far, far in excess of what Barca took to either Celtic Park or Ibrox - Barca needed only one plane to Glasgow; Rangers fans arrived on 97 flights for the return game in Catalonia.

 

Their range of songs was comprehensive and flags from both sets of visiting Glaswegian fans impressive. And given the sheer numbers of visiting fans, both games passed with few arrests and plenty of comic stories. Like the two Celtic fans negotiating with a Catalan tout for tickets. He cheekily asked for ââ??¬200 a ticket and the alcohol fuelled pair thought about it and came back with their offerââ?¬Â¦Ã¢â??¬195.

 

Not since Alan Partridge bid Ã?£324,000 for a house on the market for Ã?£325,000 ââ?¬â?? and whose main selling point was ââ?¬Å?a Buck Rogers toiletââ?¬Â - has a vendor been so willing.

[stewarty 1,877]

But the Celtc fans took bin bags to clean up after themselves doncahknow! Mind you, it's hardly surprising to see the Catalans siding with the rebel cause now is it?

[mainstandbear 0]

Nice to see a well balanced article for a change...

[stewarty 1,877]

Nice to see a well balanced article for a change...

 

Indeed. It's from 4-4-2 so Timmy cant scream that it's biased as they are an English based magazine.

[Frankie 8,182]

Isn't it amazing that we feel the need to highlight an objective, balanced article in the face of so many poorly constructed, agenda-ridden tripe from the usual suspects...?

 

[Super_Ally 0]

Isn't it amazing that we feel the need to highlight an objective, balanced article in the face of so many poorly constructed, agenda-ridden tripe from the usual suspects...?

 

 

Now if somehow peices like this could get into the mass media in Scotland rather than just being passed around Rangers fans who already know the score when it coems to balanced reporting up here.

 

Considering the media penchant up here for being lazy and stealing stories, you'd think a Rangers friendly journo migth highlight this.

[Frankie 8,182]

Mate, there are certainly a few 'Rangers friendly' journos but none of them (or their editiors) have the courage or honesty to tell the truth often enough...

 

We were widely pilloried for leaving litter and taking a p!ss in the absence of alternatives.

 

Celtic have had 60 fans fined for drinking/soliciting whores and at least 2 fans arrested for assaulting cabbies and policemen yet only one small part of the Sun mentions it.

 

A disgrace.

[Gazza_8 233]

That was a pleasantly surprising read. The truth goes a long way but who in Scotland (Rangers fan aside) will read the article and believe it?

 

I wonder what the tinks are saying about 4-4-2 magazine now?

[craig 5,199]

I think they got the number of travelling fans wrong. If Rangers had 21,000 fans then surely Timmy had 120,000, not 12,000 ?

[andrew_2010 0]

Good to see that the image the scottish media paint of us "big bad protestants" (regardless of your religion as a bear!) is not being spread further afield.

 

Telling a lie often enough doesn't make it true, and I'm glad those outside our media aren't fooled by Peter Lawell (sp) and his whips!