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22 February, 2019 Club 1872 fully supports the stance of Rangers and Rangers’ manager, Steven Gerrard in condemning all unacceptable behaviour in Scottish football. It is absolutely clear to us that Rangers has done and continues to do what it reasonably can to address this issue, which remains a problem amongst a minority of all clubs’ supporters and wider society. We will be happy to work with the club on future initiatives in this area. Unfortunately we see absolutely no viable way to eradicate these sporadic instances of unacceptable behaviour, as long as elements of the Scottish media, Scottish politicians and interest groups continue to sensationalise incidents based on their own prejudice or self interest. We are in the absurd situation where last weekend Sky pundit, Andy Walker, laughed about sectarian abuse of Kris Boyd and then days later took the polar opposite approach to similar abuse of Steve Clarke. We have seen four BBC Scotland pundits and journalists completely ignore the sectarian abuse of Kris Boyd but comment extensively on social media following the Steve Clarke incident. This is not just a media phenomenon, however. James Dornan MSP, a self styled sectarianism crusader who himself posed in front of a terrorist flag, ignored the sectarianism directed at Kris Boyd by fans of the club he supports, Celtic, but has now publicly demanded talks with Rangers over the Steve Clarke incident. Groups like Nil By Mouth and Show Racism the Red Card Scotland have taken the same approach – they completely ignored “orange b****rd” chants directed at Boyd but immediately sprung into action when Steve Clarke spoke about the subject. If the Scottish establishment is serious about tackling these issues then we should have a real debate about the causes and possible solutions. This will require discussing not just football, despite its higher profile, but having a fair and honest discussion about other contributing factors in society. We sense absolutely no appetite in Scotland to have that debate – almost every comment on the subject is superficial, one eyed or sensationalised. The term ‘whataboutery’ is now routinely used to shoot down any voice that requests parity in the treatment of these events. In fact, the sum total of the debate thus far has been manufactured media outrage, politicians with an agenda to raise their own profile and groups who rely on the publicity around these issues, as they relate to football, for funding. Club 1872 will be happy to take part in any honest dialogue on this subject, if such dialogue ever begins. http://club1872.co.uk/news/club-1872-statement-on-unacceptable-behaviour/

It's perhaps not quite one step forward, two steps back with Rangers at the moment but there's no doubt this Rangers team are as frustrating as any I've followed over the years. Quite clearly, we have a number of talented players and a manager who seems able to motivate them for bigger games but the same personnel are just as capable of regularly insipid performances and even the manager acknowledges he can't quite focus them for other matches? Why is this? Rewind back a couple of months and we have a team that destroyed Celtic at Ibrox, giving our fans confidence and belief a title challenge could be made over the rest of the campaign. As we ended 2018, morale was as high as it's been for a while. Since then we've played five league matches: including beating Aberdeen in a fine display at Pittodrie but also dropping points in two other games, away at Kilmarnock and at home last Saturday to St Johnstone. It's safe to say that's not title-winning form and this continual inconsistency is difficult to explain. Are the players not good enough? Perhaps it is as simple as that but we've seen some excellent performances from most individuals this season, not to mention some superb team achievements (not least in Europe) so that suggests we do have the quality but just lack a certain something to accompany it. Is it belief? This is possible given the number of times we've come up against parked buses and seemed incapable of breaking such teams down, often visibly giving up the ghost well before the end of some matches. In contrast though, in various perceived bigger games, we've gone toe to toe with teams such as Celtic, Villarreal, Spartak and others, looking every inch as if we have the confidence to beat them and doing well many times this season. What about general attitude and motivation? Earlier this week the manager talked about ego problems ahead of the St Johnstone game and questioned if that contributed to what was a very poor display from almost all his players. Right from the first whistle, we looked lazy, disinterested and didn't work hard enough to break down a stubborn Saints side. However, despite issues with tempo in some games, generally I'd argue we usually put in the effort so it's not just that either. All things considered, I think the easiest answer/cop-out is that our problems are due to a combination of the above. Most teams have such faults and the manager's job is to correct them: signing and using the right players along with ensuring they have the right mental and physical traits to maximise results. I, for one, still don't doubt Steven Gerrard is the man for that job but, I also don't doubt that he's still learning how best to do this as an inexperienced manager himself. As such, I think the most positive conclusion to arrive at is Gerrard and his squad are still growing together and patience will be required from our fans, whilst they do so. Yes, we can't wait forever for a combination that may never arrive but neither can we keep changing the manager and/or making wholesale player changes every summer either. In essence, I believe pragmatism is our best foot forward for the moment and if the supporters can remain behind the team in this way, Gerrard will deliver in the longer term. Ask Manchester Utd fans if they were glad they stuck by Alex Ferguson for the first few years...? That noble sentiment and hindsight aside, I still think this Rangers team are capable of a lot more and it would be good to see them demonstrate that this Sunday at Hamilton - themselves having just appointed a new manager and having actually beat St Johnstone at home just over two weeks ago. Nevertheless, we're just off the back of an excellent cup win over Kilmarnock so the players should be in fine fettle ahead of the short trip to Lanarkshire. Of course, we're back on an artificial surface but that need not and should not be any sort of excuse, given we've beaten, not just Acas but Killie and Livi as well on their 4G pitches this season. Yes, they're not ideal and it may mean a couple of changes in personnel, but we should be more than capable of providing more quality than these teams, irrespective of grass. That's not the dismissive ego Gerrard spoke of either but a simple confidence in the squad we have. The bad news is that we'll again be without Alfredo Morelos as he serves his final game of his suspension but the good news is that Allan McGregor should return after his own disciplinary absence. Both players will need to be more mindful of their obligations in this regard. Super-slo motion replays from dozens of angles and from unfriendly sources means gamesmanship is definitely more risk than reward for Rangers players. The loss of Morelos is a disappointing one but it's important we deal with this much better this Sunday. Will this mean a 4-4-2 with Defoe and Lafferty leading the line or a retention of our favoured 4-3-3 I'm not sure but, again, we should make either system work - as long as the players commit to and believe in their own ability. With others such as Arfield, McCrorie, Jack, Goldson and Barisic all suffering from niggles lately, one or two further players may be rotated in but with four clean sheets in our last five games there's no coincidence that a settled defence is working rather better than constant change for change's sake. Because of this I'd be keen to retain as many of the same players from midweek as we can and look to them to supply the same determination, focus and quality to ensure another three points. Patience is indeed a virtue but that need not excuse every bad result and there's no excuse for one this Sunday. Possible team (4-3-3):

A great statement imo from club1872.

I've heard a lot worse than Wednesday night's chants but its 2019 it's time for this behaviour to cease let's sing the praises of our players and team let the hooped horrors make fool's of themselves like they seem to have done last evening in Valencia.

Is anyone else utterly scunnered with this prehistoric garbage? We should be talking about a 5-0 cup win. 4 goals for Alfie. The midfields hunger to work in packs to retain possession. The next round v Aberdeen. Oh no. Rangers fans don't get that luxury afforded to most football fans. We get a few days of the club being dragged through the myre thanks to this cringeworthy own goal by some of our fans. It's getting tiresome tbh. Just concentrate on football ffs. Leave all your own baggage at your own door. You are doing the club you profess to love, no favours whatsoever

My issue is his hypocrisy, ignoring the Boyd situation initially. He claims he wasn't aware of the songs against Celtic, or the coin throwing but that stretches his credibility, Even in the slight chance that what he said was true he would have known about it before he refused to comment on the Celtic fans at his next press conference. He can't have it both ways. He was also caught lying about the Rangers job.

Let’s start with not segregating children at school. Schooling children to believe they are different and superior due to their religion is never a good start.

http://fourladshadadream.blog/2019/02/21/selective-hearing-only-fuels-the-sectarian-hatred/ A hugely difficult subject to tackle but felt it needed said Thoughts on this one welcome

Sorry but everyone knows that the sectarianism in Scottish football has nothing to do with actual religion or beliefs, it’s just tribalism, us and them. In fact a good dose of Christianity would do most of them a lot of good.

Artichokes?

Quite agree, however I personally don't sing/shout at any manager/players, I simply said I don't have any sympathy with anyone in Scottish football, any Rangers fans singing any songs that would harm the club are doing Rangers harm! again I didn't call him or anyone anything!!. And I don't give a fuck about any Scottish team, or the national team, I am allowed to say that and feel that!.

So call him a baldy wanker or whatever. There's no justification for calling him a ******, and it should be pretty fucking obvious that anyone who does is providing the usual suspects with another stick to attack my club with. Sadly we can't fuck the rest of Scottish football as we need somebody to play against on a Saturady afternoon. You don't have to like or respect the other clubs, but we do have to coexist with them. Stand up for the club by all means, but I can't see why anyone would knowingly provide our detractors with ammo.

I think that I'm right to say that the Union Bears started the chant and if so then the club should probably act. I won't relish it but they have a privileged position and that should come with a bit of responsibility. I suspect that the club does not need to allow them to set up a podium or carry a megaphone in to the match. It's not too much to ask for them to be responsible and not start chants that the club would class as unacceptable behaviour. Steve Clarke is a good manager and, if I'm being honest, I'm quite happy that he is doing well at Kilmarnock. It's much better to have competitive opponents. We should have been talking about how we were superior on the pitch instead of all this stuff. We all know how the game is played in Scotland so there are no real excuses for walking in to these traps.

I’m not sure the appetite amongst many of our support to tackle this is there any more? Ten years ago when it was perceived a level playing field then there was a consensus to tackle this. Now I think there is a much harder stance; after years of watching our fans and club being attacked while the other side promote bigotry and bile with impunity. Im not disagreeing with you MacK, I’m just not sure the feeling is there as it once was amongst many of the supporters?

Faith schools are a contributing factor. But the biggest problem is Celtic FC & the militant Irish Republicanism amongst elements of its support which the Celtic board overlook

Sectarianism will never be eradicated from Scottish football until Celtic face up to the fact it is they who have the biggest problem. Not us.

BBC Scotland cannot help themselves, their reporting of the three arrested includes mitigation : "The texts were sent to 36 year old John Beaton following the Rangers v Celtic match at Ibrox on 29 December 2018. The official was criticised after Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos was not punished for several incidents in the 1-0 win over Celtic" The second sentence takes another swipe at the young Columbian and justifies the ensuing vile behaviour towards John Beaton.

He didn't seem to care when his captain was subject to similar chants and was also physically assaulted, so for him to now claim he's affected is hypocritical and pathetic.

I understand that people don't like him but I don't think we should be mocking a man because he's not "manly enough" or whatever not to be affected by those kind of chants, which he's almost certainly never experienced before on that level.

If their midden does not meet competition rules regarding being able to accommodate 20% visiting fans we should be demanding they move the fixture to a neutral venue. The sheep avoided relegation a number of years ago because Falkirk's stadium did not meet competition rules regarding stadium capacity.

Hey, we’re not here to talk about football ?

Look at the ages of these guys. If you've reached the age of 41 and you're spending your time sending death threats to strangers over a football match then it might be time to accept you're one of life's real losers.

Rangers chairman Dave King apologises to Steve Clarke as he hits out at sectarian abuse Rangers chairman Dave King has apologised to Steve Clarke and insists the club are "deeply distressed" by the sectarian abuse directed at the Kilmarnock boss. Clarke hit out at the Ibrox club and its fans on Wednesday night after being taunted with chants of "****** b*****d" during his side's 5-0 Scottish Cup defeat. In an emotional press conference, the Killie boss slammed the abuse and said it was like living in the "dark ages". King has now released a strongly-worded statement in which he insisted Rangers "abhor" the treatment dished out to Clarke and vowed to root out the bigots. It said: "Myself and every single person at the Rangers Football Club abhors the sectarian element that continues to be so prevalent in Scottish football. "We will continue to do everything we can at our club to root sectarianism out and to deal in the strongest manner possible with any individuals that are found to have engaged in such practices. "We are also deeply distressed that Steve Clarke has been subjected to this unwarranted abuse and, on behalf of myself and the club, I offer our most sincere apology and hope that it does not deflect from the wonderful job he has done at Kilmarnock. "He is a top manager and it would be a great loss to Scottish football if incidents like this forced him away from our game." https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rangers-chairman-dave-king-apologises-14035963?1

Beyond a joke, now I am tempted to ask, rhetorically, what is the point of competing? I fear, however, that that question identifies precisely the point

This. With bells on. Well said

The sectarian song might not have been sung if he hadn't responded to the first song, the fact he didn't mention it in the initial interview leads me to believe he wasn't as offended as he made out.

Perhaps we can sing this acceptable song, for the duration of the second half, next time we humiliate his team.

I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. We should get our own house in order regardless of what others say or do.

In a health and safety sense, a manager not being aware of a criminal physical assault on one of his employees is himself guilty of an offence.

If the ground isn’t up to the correct safety standards we should request it’s moved to Ibrox.

My point was relative to him being in a football dressing room as a manager. In the reality of real life you have a point, in a football managing sense you don’t have a point (rightly or wrongly) and if you think his chances of the mhank job have not just disappeared your delusional. The same point was made by re Murty. There is an argument to say that if he is not strong enough (and it takes a very mentally strong individual for football management) he should be relieved of his position. His employees have a duty of care and maybe he should’ve asked to take some leave. There is 90% of folk on here who are questioning his sincerity and why he had no problems with his team captain being called an Orange Bastard? He also had no problem with coin throwing and other terrorist and bigoted chants from St Pats fans? This particular chant last 30 seconds as I sit above it. He has heard worse, much worse and he is at it imo. So either he is not strong enough for the Killmarnock dressing room (and certainly not St Pats) or he has selectarianism and is at it?? We are not discussing real life we are discussing football management. Normal rules don’t apply.

If it's a plea in mitigation that the BBC wishes, might I suggest: The accused were raised in rancour and bitterness, among the Oirish Diaspora in the West of Scotland; thus, resentment and petulance became second nature to them, even on occasion, blind hatred. They are also very stupid.

We have played Killie a lot this season, we keep hearing the Killie Boys being belted out. Of course, we get accused of singing the proscribed Billy Boys. Here's the thing, is Steve Clarke okay with the Killie support celebrating wading up to their knees in Ayr United blood? The First Minister is a proclaimed supporter of the Honest Men, is she comfortable with Killie fans wading up to their knees through her blood? We should be told, since the Scottish Government are again making statements.

Was this same offer made to Celtic after Sunday sectarian abuse of Kris Boyd?

Yes to “wanker” chant.

And more than a few wanted Clarke as manager of Rangers

I have just watched that FS. It’s just so sinister, and a one sided onslaught attack on our club and fans again. WTF is the subtitles all about? Why don’t the club go back and get the video from the piggery, do there own subtitles and release them? There was 50k singing this to SG and we should then ask why this was not highlighted?? As for Clarke, what a complete idiot of a man? The BBC said he was left “shaken and upset” at 30 seconds of a chant? I tell you what, every Kilmarnock player should have a double take the next time he addresses them? What kind of a guy is there manager? We we need to get on the front foot with this. We should find everything the BBC and other outlets have ignored (deliberately) and ask why we are singled out? We all know the answer. I also can’t think of a BBC reporter that doesn’t give me a nauseating feeling? They ooze hatred of our club and culture.

On Reporting Scotland tonight they played an extract from the game containing the chant complete with subtitles though for some reason the didn't do that with an extract from Sunday no sound no subtitles. From 8.50 mins in https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0c39qhn/reporting-scotland-evening-news-21022019

Why can't he just spend 90 minutes shouting verbal abuse at the referee like every one else?

He learned it from the model of R2D2 he keeps in his bedroom.

I think I have been listening carefully enough. Presumably there is not enough singing for the noise to make it all the way to the half way line. It need not matter though since, given your position in the stadium, I'm sure that you will eagerly report any such singing to us.

While the snp continue to fund sectarian schooling they are the problem.

We should "boycott" this and leave them crying over the lost blue pond.