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The reason for the club not moving them to BF3 has been well known and discussed for many years. I myself when on the Working Group committee back in 2010-11 spoke to David Martin (head of security at the club) at some length to get UB moved to BF3. The reason is the sight lines for those in the areas beside them. If you are in BF2 or BF4 and wish to watch the match from the comfort of your seat, you cannot see a large area of the pitch due to the UB standing in BF3. This is why they are in BF1, it is the only area where them standing doesnt affect the sight lines of other fans in neighbouring sections. The club turn a blind eye to them standing throughout the game in contravention of the ground rules. I havent been in the loop on this issue since the WG stood down in 2012, but I cant see that the argument has changed a bit as the fact remains the same. UB can move to BF3 if they sit down, which goes against everything they are about so they have to remain at the end of the stand where they dont disrupt everyone else. What is the big deal with this anyway? They can expand into BF2 if they have sufficient numbers, which they have never had. I understand their plea for a safe standing area, and that they would be upset that we are not going to go for that. Personally, I am against a safe standing area, so I am delighted the club have decided against this.

I don't think there has been any violence as such but there is a sinister tone adopted IMO. Why walk behind such a violent banner (image of fan kicking a Celtic fan). Why cover your face? The fact that they actually did this outside the marvellous facade of Ibrox on Edmiston Dr still makes me sick tbh. I wouldn't be seen dead in this sort of protest. To me it's the same "look at us" headline seeking nonsense that happens across the city with GB. Just support your team ffs.

As the Meerkat advert says "simple" i.e. drop the F****n word from singing,forget about "Bobby Sands" as he has been dead a long time, for a start and they might start getting somewhere. We are in a modern world and should be able to act more responsibley,let the scum from the east sing their filth and see if they will be dealt with,fat chance though.

Here's my latest reply from the BBC complaints w.r.t. them being bangers. Editorially fair is the latest party line.

I reckon, in total, there have been about 15 balaclavas worn by UBs in the last decade - all outside Ibrox. What a lot of fuss about nothing. They wear them so the Police don't turn up at their doors in a few weeks and lift them for this, that or the next thing. It would only be sinister if violence was likely and it never has been. The issues here are safe standing and their location within Ibrox.

Second £1000.00 payment sent to the club today

Made a late decision to travel through last night and glad I did as some of the football was a joy to watch at times. Yes, with personnel and system changes throughout the second period, we got a bit sloppy at times after half-time but some passages of play were still superb and only a combination of bad luck and poor finishing stopped us scoring a few more. Great to see us go on a good run of scoring form and look solid at the back as well. Aberdeen next, hopefully!

It's not about being intimated. Why would anyone want this type of masked protest associated with our club? If people think this is acceptable then God help us?

It's fine. Wanting to kill someone due to political beliefs is all well and good...as long as you're on the correct SNP/Sinn Fein side. However, if you want to stick a nasty word about people who want to break up the UK into a song then Steve Clark will have a mental breakdown and the Knights of St Columbus (or Spiers, McLaughlin, English, Leckie and Haggerty, as you and I know them) will be springing out of their traps quick smart.

I have to disagree with this mate. They are not the same, and I won't respect them when I see them on marches with balaclavas. It is sinister and it brings the club into disrepute. That's something that should be challenged, not respected.

Notwithstanding the obvious error in the petition, I've also signed it. I've just been sent a tweet showing Celtic fans singing about killing Brendan Roges with a bullet from the IRA and yet not a single mention of this from Dornan or Humza. Both of them are corrupt hypocrites who will jump up and down because Steve Clarke received some abuse, and yet not a peep about Boyd, Morelos or Rogers. Why? We know the answer to that, and it's a national disgrace.

I thought that wee guy had maybe had his megaphone ? taken off him last night because of the Steve Clarke stuff last week. These boys are our version of the green brigade, and now they’re taking the huff because the club won’t kick other season ticket holders out of their seats so they can take over an entire stand for their particular brand of chaos! Not my cup of tea personally, though I’m sure plenty would disagree with me..

The UBs ironically hold the key to solving the problem of the dark side of the songbook. Surely the club could grant them some privileges on the basis of an agreed set of rules, with basically a type of strict liability. The UBs are in a unique position in that they largely dictate what is sung in the stadium, the club should be using that to their advantage surely.

As Bluedell says the style and fashions of the 'young' are for them to decide, there would be something wrong with them if someone closing in on half a century like me could relate far less approved. Great post by Tannochside Bear. I'm also firmly against 'safe' standing and glad it's been rejected by the club.

The club have to think about the future and attracting enough support to fill the stadium. Many of those who might prefer 'library atmosphere' won't be around for ever. Bluedell refers to balance and whilst the UB need to respect certain lines in todays environment, the club shouldn't take them for granted and need to cater to what are paying customers. I think you have to look at the UB and what they want as an opportunity to make something special and have it grow. At the sametime the club can look to tackle certain issues wiith the songbook together with the UB.

Fair enough statement but I feel if the UB want backing from the Rangers fans as a whole they need to ditch the ski masks and balaclava during marches/protests. It's sinister and does not help their cause and turns a lot of fans off IMO.

Further down the line, imagine a whole Broomloan Road End that was a UB section with safe standing installed ! Would surely capture the imagination of a lot of the younger generations, attract new attending support and create a notable atmosphere.

We need them to drop points and us to win all our matches, a wee bit too much to ask!!

5 games and 5 clean sheets. We are starting to click into gear at the right time. After seeing them grab another injury time winner - I think it’s too little too late though.

I find it hard to believe the sheep played a deep 'defense' at home against Hamilton. Anyone who thinks the sheep put in the same effort against Hamilton and Rangers is deluded. We have stuffed two crap sides and a decent side that played most of the match with 10 men. Don't get carried away...

Important to clarify what has happened today As we know Rangers used this facility to cover any shortfall last season, well they have taken the opportunity to renew that option so that the money is there this time should they need it. Most likely to be around same amount as last year (£3m) Saves the money coming from King or directors, allows us to continue to redevelop the stadium or whatever and shows we are strong enough financially to pay it back come the summer

The demos I'm referring to were Anti-BBC at Pacific Quay. This isn't the first one they've organised. I think this one is the fourth.

No one in Scotland, outside of the press, actually cares about a couple of teenagers wearing balaclavas on a well-Policed march. Knickers definitely need to be untwisted. We used to run wild in previous decades. What happened to us?

Some people bring balaclavas to the match so that they can applaud Kenny Miller on to the pitch.

I suppose it's symptomatic of our recent history that we feel the need to explain something like this. In any other business this would just be normal and far from newsworthy. The directors should be using credit lines like this, rather than funding end of season cash flow challenges from their own investments. That would be crazy. As 917 said, we should always be vigilant to how it's used because that can be an indicator, but if it's agreed or extended it's just smart business.

Are grown men seriously intimidated by teenagers, who are surrounded by Police officers, wearing balaclavas on an organised march? There are plenty of truly 'sinister' things going on in Scottish football just now.

??????

Sorry, but that's not true. I saw the last march and there were dozens from that one alone. This isn't about safe standing. It's about a group of supporters being unable to convince the club of their net value, and I agree with the club. I wouldn't agree to their wishes, and in fact wouldn't even consider it unless they clean up their image. It has a much wider detrimental effect. Many supporters like me don't know the difference between the Vanguard or Union bears (or other supporters groups), and don't really care normally. However, I was then initially put off the BBC demonstration for fear of being associated with that behaviour. If they really expect to get visits from the police after a peaceful protest, can I expect them to be in the same hoodies and balaclavas on the 16th March? If so, they ruin it for the VB and the rest of us. It's completely unnecessary. If they want to be Ultras, then fine, but if they're not going to protect the image of the club (and are not aware enough to realise it), why should the club do this? p.s. I would be in favour of a standing area, but for me (and I suspect the club), that's not the issue here.

In saying that, I was standing for 90 minutes in my usual seat in the Broomloan rear for the game on 29th December. So was everybody else. That must have been un-safe standing lol

Seriously? I've read more than enough of this type of opinion across various different platforms in the last few days and its nothing more than a red herring. These are two separate issues and neither of them have anything to do with the other. The two issues being; 1) Successfully housing an organised fans group. 2) Cultural/Societal transition and change. First of all taking point two. Do you seriously think the board/decision makers in this situation simply reacted to the singing of certain words in songs the most recent being the Clark song and decided to punish the UB? If that was the case then who the f^&k do the board think they are? Do they think they are their [UB] parents putting their kids on the naughty step? As far as I'm concerned that's a ridiculous proposition and that also applies to any fans with the mindset that the UB are insolent children. Its a ridiculous proposition because although the perception is that ALL UB are youths and teenagers the reality is that they are not. Many are youths and some are adults with families. You cant just naughty step adult paying customers who've organized as a collective. The UB at the moment are in a small section BF1 but looking at various mobile phone footage on internet platforms there are many sub 30 year old supporters dotted through out the BF who also take part in the singing when it starts. From that I've formed the opinion they'd be equally likely to join with the UB during matches if the sections were opened up to accommodate more fans. If we're going for the Holy Wully angle of abstinence ONLY then we ALL need to have a serious look at ourselves because if TBB starts up when we're playing Celtic home or away I can guarantee 90% of the fans are singing it because rightly or wrongly and irrespective of the words it contains it has served as a tribal rallying call for the 48 years I've been attending Ibrox. Thats not just a UB issue! IMO the only way to resolve cultural change in communities is through dialogue. Instead of condemning them older bears, and I include myself in this demographic, should be helping the UB navigate this modern cultural transition.. Yet all I've seen on message boards and forums is a very polarized opinion of UB and there seems to be very little reasoned discussion from people who should know better. While I'm at it dialogue incidentally is a thing which Rangers have been notoriously bad at, with regards to the fan base, since Murray was Tzar. Going back to point one. The UB are no different to any other Rangers fan that attends Ibrox on a match day and should be respected as such by ALL of us including the board. In the 72-73 season my da along with 3-4 of his mates started the Spateston RSC and also ran the supporters bus which is sadly defunct today although some of the members still attend matches from Johnstone. He like many of the UB was under 30 years old at the time was he an upstart too? They organised held dances, dinners and POTY awards liaising with the club on player appearances for a number of years. However, as I understand it, when Murray took over that became a more complicated process as the club became less approachable.From the outside it appears this mode of operation has changed very little in the years that have proceeded Murrays tenure. I was always under the impression that CF was the area that UB had targetted to have set as safe standing? If that is the case then I can see a number of issues arising from it. Legacy seating being just one. Now reading their [UB] statement it appears to me that the clubs position has always been disingenuous as it tabled BF3 as an alternative. To my mind that is at best untenable and the club never intended for the situation to be easily resolved. Siting a safe standing area in that section of the stadium would not have been viable due to various logistics issues and don't forget that area was proposed long before the reduction in away fans ticket allocation. The ticket allocation is a fairly recent development and I urge you to remember that had it not been for the lobbying of special interest group and one person in particular that would not have come to pass either. Personally I've no skin in the game as far as safe standing is concerned however I am concerned about match day experience, atmosphere, catering and facilities. This isn't the 60-70's where a guy/girl with a strapped on serving tray walked through the terracing crowd shouting to sell their wares, macaroon and spearmint chewing gum, and drunk guys pissed, in empty beer cans, or on each other the contents of which then rolled down the terracing. This is the 21st century and things have moved on and are much more civilized thank f&*k! To those who say that the UB think they are better than the rest of us I'm calling bullshit they don't but they do lack the sophistry of the Main Stand wallers when they are being torn into by folk who really should know better. They're not asking for preferential treatment either but if the organisers of the UB feel that they have outgrown the section allocated to them and have approached the club to discuss the matter then it is entirely up to the club to find a solution with them and rehouse them in an efficient manner, in a suitable position within the stadium, and not string them along and treat them like naughty children as it appears they have. They clearly aren't children as they have enough disposable income to follow the team home and away no matter how far they have to travel, including Europe, which by today's standard isn't cheap. For that reason I'm annoyed by this marginalizing younger Rangers fans for having the temerity to ask!

Nothing wrong with having an overdraft. The worry would be if we don’t pay it back this year. Close brothers seem to be raising their profile, I seem to remember seeing them sponsoring a team in England..

Is the key word not SAFE standing? I see no problem with people standing if it is safe although the main problem I have with it is it makes it easier for nutters to throw things without being caught on camera.

Safe standing is nothing like the old terracing. Much safer.

No need for the tools or specs ! The podcast comes with a note of duration and when the attention turns from Hamilton to the Brendanlessbeu, a glance at running time is suffice. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p071v9x7

Why would anyone like it? The term "Ultras" shouldn't be used as any kind of get out for the sinister aspect of their protests. In footballing terms it's a hugely negative thing IMO. "Ultras" need to grow up. There are countless and more positive ways to display your affection and support for a football team than simply copying and pasting a dated and ridiculous masquerade from the darker aspects of footballing fandom.

Monitoring the monitors?

It does demonstrate that despite the relatively good financial results announced this week and the good European run, we aren't awash with cash and every pound is still a prisoner.

It would be interesting to know the club's reasons for this. Is it a reaction to the Steve Clarke song? Have they asked the UBs to tone down the songs and been ignored and this is the reaction or are there other reasons behind this? Moving the UBs to BF3 seems a reasonable thing to do. On the safe standing issue, is it due to cost? The UBs do need to realise that that the relationship with the club has to be a two way thing and that may mean losing a couple of songs from the repertoire if they want the club to meet them half way.

Logic when taking account recent form might suggest a straightforward task but the sheep is a wounded animal and their season is backed into a corner with only a chink of light visible. That light could go out this weekend but you can bet your last penny that they'll be fully up for a competitive scrap that we'll need to match. Above and beyond recent form, we need to go into the game with the right attitude.

The sheep are shite at anything but deep defense while trying to nick an odd goal on the break. And apparently against Accies they couldn't even do that. We only have to turn up with the recent form to batter them. How many of us if any would have believed we would score 14 goals with no reply in the next three games after the St Johnstone disappointment. I can't recall 3 consecutive games with form like that this season. Hoping that's what we're going to get consistently. Kamara is a game changer for us so far.

Some absolute fantastic football in the first half it really brought a tear to my eye and a lump in my throat. The sponsors had Morelos as MOM and RTV had Ryan Jack but for me it was Kamara. That guy is a magnet for the ball and he always does good when laying it off mostly his first touch. The whole midfield with Morelos were unbelievable at times. I could have a man love for kamara but I am afraid he has a bigger dongle than Craig.?