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https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/rangers-campaign-to-turn-club-and-its-fans-into-social-pariahs-ignores-plight-of-young-working-class-white-males-john-mclellan-3246016

It’s Not What You Say, But What They Hear I made a mistake last Sunday. In a pique of frustration over the inevitability of much of Saturday night’s events and annoyance over some of the coverage it garnered, I sent a Tweet. As Tweets go it was quite long, and was an attempt to remind people that Rangers supporter’s who fight police officers, or themselves, on a Saturday night in town are no more representative of me, or the vast majority of our support, than the Rangers supporter’s who went bird watching, long distancing running or line dancing are. I wish I hadn’t. I’m not a prolific Tweeter and I rarely Tweet about football. If you want occasional photos of my local park, perhaps some obscure research on birds or the occasional insight into international events, maybe I’m your guy, otherwise best ignore me, I’m there to learn, not teach. Prior to Sunday I doubt I’ve ever sent a Tweet that was ‘liked’ more the a dozen times; I’m not interesting or high profile, and I’m okay with that. An hour or so after pressing ‘Tweet’ I was very surprised to learn over 100 people had liked, retweeted or positively commented on it. Almost all seemed to be fellow Rangers fans who had clearly been feeling something similar. This continued for a few hours, numbers increased and my phone battery complained. A couple of friends texted me to say they’d read it and enjoyed it, even my sister, who I didn’t know even had Twitter, called to mock me. All good so far. Then, sometime around mid-afternoon on Sunday, supporter's of the second best side in Glasgow came across my Tweet. The comments changed. I’ve not read them all, there are simply too many and life is too short, but I got the general gist and some clear themes emerged. My claim that it was a “minority” of Rangers supporters who were involved in any disorder on Saturday was widely ridiculed. Also, I’d failed to mention sectarianism, or “anti-Irish racism” as many seemed to call it. Lastly, that drunken, loutish behaviour is recurring and unique to Rangers supporters. The ‘minority’ issue is easily dealt with. I think it’s fair to say Rangers have somewhere around 500,000 supporters. It might be more than that, it might be less, but I think it’s a conservative estimate to suggest that 10% of the population of Scotland would describe themselves as supporter’s of Rangers. Some of them might be nominal, a club they followed as a child but take less interest now, others will attend every match, home and away. The only definition of a Rangers supporter I accept is that they want Rangers to win. Estimates of the total crowd numbers at Ibrox and later in the city centre vary, somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000. 20,000 people is barely 4% of our support, and it’s worth remembering that Chief Supt Mark Sutherland of Police Scotland described that crowd as “largely peaceful in nature”. Even if someone wants to complain that everyone present was breaking Covid guidelines and so at least technically in breach of restrictions, it doesn’t change the fact that the other 96% of the Rangers support weren’t. As for those who actually engaged in vandalism and violence that was a very small percentage of those present and a tiny fraction of the Rangers support. For me those are simply irrefutable facts. I don’t know what ‘anti-Irish racism’ is. As far as I know the Irish and the Scots are the same race. Having lived in both I can also say that in my experience we’re largely identical in almost every measurable way. I’m unaware of any systemic discrimination towards Irish people in Scotland, certainly not in this century at least. I didn’t mention sectarianism as I was unaware of any taking place. I wasn’t there, and I’ve not watched many of the videos that have been circulating. If there was sectarian singing or chanting then I condemn it. The anti-Catholic chants and songs still exist among a section of our support, and, away from the stadium and often after a few drinks they sometimes make an appearance. I wish they didn’t. I expect our board wish they didn’t and I can only imagine what some of our players must think. It’s embarrassing. It would be disingenuous to say nothing has changed in this regard over the years, but it would be equally wrong to say this has disappeared, it hasn’t. I can understand why someone who feels these chants are directed at them reacts with fury when they hear them. That said it surprises me to see how many people liberally sprinkle the word ‘hun’ around their timelines when questioning my views. The refrain, when challenged, seems to be that the word isn’t sectarian and isn’t an idiom for ‘Protestant’. A ‘hun’ apparently is a Rangers supporter. Unless it’s a Hearts supporter. Or maybe an Airdrie supporter, and sometimes even a Morton or Kilmarnock supporter. This is the thing about the English language, the meaning of words changes over time and between people. My children regularly describe something positive as ‘sick’, this puzzles me and makes me feel old at the same time. The meaning of the word ‘sick’ has changed. I took a trip to Belfast before Covid hit. It’s a city I know quite well having lived there for a while a few decades ago, but it’s also a city that’s going through such huge change that parts of it were unrecognisable to me. I decided to do the first time visitor thing and take a bus tour to reacquaint myself. The Belfast bus tour takes you to places that are famous and infamous. It doesn’t hide its past, you see the city warts and all. We visited various ‘interfaces’. An interface is a euphemism for a border, in Belfast that’s where a republican area meets a loyalist area. These are bleak, people-less areas, dominated by high fences and walls, where territory is clearly marked by graffiti. Much of this graffiti is sadly familiar to a Glaswegian and I’d little trouble understanding just whose territory we were leaving or entering. Something unfamiliar did catch my eye though, 3 letters that made a regular appearance as you entered loyalist areas; KAT, and 3 similar ones when you entered republican areas; KAH. The tour guide explained that KAT stands for ‘Kill All Taigs’ and KAH stands for ‘Kill All Huns’. On the streets of working class Belfast it seems that Taigs are Catholics and Huns are Protestants. Not unsurprisingly I’ve recently started to notice these initials in Glasgow too. Now I’m willing to accept that not everyone who uses the word ‘hun’ does mean all Protestants, but that doesn’t mean it’s not what I hear when it’s said. And while some might not use it that way, others clearly do. Meanings change, it’s all of our jobs to keep up with that change, not just Rangers supporters. Lastly, why is it always Rangers? This takes us directly into ‘whataboutery’ country again and I’ve little desire to spend more time there. Suffice to say that over the years I’ve seen violence, first hand, sometimes at very close quarters, perpetrated by supporters of Aberdeen, Dundee, Motherwell, Airdrie, Kilmarnock, Morton, Clydebank, Partick Thistle, Hibs, Hearts, Falkirk, Clyde, St Mirren, Sunderland, Glentoran, Linfield, Cliftonville and, believe it or not, Celtic. Rangers don’t have a monopoly on bams, but I’m not going to pretend we don’t have any either. That there was disorder on Saturday night didn’t come as a surprise to me. I’ve lived in Glasgow long enough to know that there are people in our society for who a Saturday spent drinking will greatly increase the likelihood of them being involved in violence. That hard drinking ‘get mad wae it’ culture is alive and flourishing among a section of our society. I don’t think the blame for that can be laid at the door of Rangers directors, players or indeed me. The Scottish Crime Survey of 2018 recorded that 46% of all violent crime in Scotland is alcohol related. 41% of all prisoners in Scotland report being drunk at the time of their offence, that figure rises to 60% for young offenders. The STAG Trauma Report in 2015 records that alcohol was associated with 33% of all major trauma patients, that number doubles when just recording male patients. Alcohol related death is 7 times higher in Scotland’s most deprived areas and alcohol related hospital stays are 8 times higher in Scotland’s poorest communities. Again, the figures are higher for men than woman. Despite this I’ve yet to read anyone ask what Smirnoff, Buckfast or the makers of MD 20-20 had to say about last Saturday night, far less suggest that everyone who drinks alcohol should be ashamed of themselves and demand action be taken. Rangers draw their support from across Scotland and beyond, but the post industrial heartlands of the central belt are where we draw the bulk of our support. These areas have more than their fare share of economic black spots and deprived communities. None of that is an excuse for violence or religious intolerance. Indeed the majority of people brought up in these areas aren’t violent or bigoted. But the power to change the people who are, to improve their schools, to broaden their horizons, to perhaps give them ambitions beyond the weekend, to deal with whatever demons they currently try and drown and to instil a pride or self worth clearly lacking in some of them doesn’t lie with Steven Gerrard or the Rangers board. It lies, quite squarely, at the feet of those elected to represent these communities; politicians. That’s ironic, because some of them have been very quick to point fingers of responsibility elsewhere this week. It does feel that some people see Rangers as responsible for the actions of everyone who supports them at all times. There were 54 arrests and 429 crimes at T In The Park a few years ago yet no one suggests The Stone Roses are held responsible for that. There is a limit on what the club can do and should be held responsible for. I’m surprised that even needs stated. But then maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, it’s strange that now we have so many ways of communicating with each other more than ever people still only hear what they want to hear.

SAVAGED BY A SHEEP https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/sport/sport-columnists/3164914/richard-gordon-column-a-remarkable-season-like-no-other-but-one-to-forget-for-aberdeen/ Shameful scenes may be a concern for Uefa The headlines all week have rightly been dominated by the reprehensible scenes in Glasgow last weekend as Rangers fans ‘celebrated’ lifting the Premiership trophy. There was a blizzard of condemnation, statements issued by the First Minister, Police Scotland and the football authorities variously describing what had happened as an abomination, an embarrassment and shameful. Nicola Sturgeon spoke of vile anti-Catholic prejudice, and a quick trawl through the footage shows there was plenty of that. It was a display that humiliated our country and must have left the decision makers at UEFA pondering the wisdom of staging Euro 2020 in the city. It took over 24 hours for Rangers to issue their statement, and while they did denounce the behaviour on show, many would take issue with the claim that only a small minority was involved. The club cannot be held responsible for the morons who rampaged through Glasgow, but they should be issuing life bans to all found guilty. I have to ask if anybody has actually seen the plentiful footage of "vile" (obligatory usage) anti Catholic prejudice. I haven't.

That's a tartan, you know, the Hurting Stewart....

I did wonder when someone was going to take issue with much of the hysterical coverage last weekend has created. Thanks for sharing.

I was listening to our game on the radio. Didn't have Setanta. I remember getting half way down the stair coming to moan to my Dad about them winning it when I heard the roar from our end at the game. Unbelievable feeling. I still remember the minutes in between the two Motherwell goals felt like a lifetime. after all they only needed a goal. We thought - like many that the second roar was full time at Motherwell. I have always had a soft spot for Scott McDonald since then even though he scored a winner for them against us after that!

As usual, the real heroes of the day were -and remain- unrecognised, and unrewarded: step forward Air Traffic Control

Maybe we could bring in strict liability for MPs when their constituents misbehave. Or when they actively encourage their constituents to impede UK law enforcement. I hear Govanhill is relatively crime-ridden these days.

John I’m an avid reader though seldom poster of GersNet, but feel compelled to state that your post on last week’s events was absolutely brilliant. Heartfelt and I’m sure echoed the thoughts of many Bears out there. I can only simply say Thanks!

Absolutely. I loved that Eddie Turnbull Hibs side. Back in the early 70s, my game with Fir Park Boys Club would finish after 13.30hrs and if Rangers were away, or I couldn't get a lift to Ibrox; I would look to see if Hibs were playing in the Lanarkshire/Glasgow proximity. I marvelled at the Hibs midfield trio, Stanton, O'Rourke and, Edwards. I think the Scotland world cup squad in West Germany in 1974 had five Hibs players included, all deserved. It was a thing back in the day, 'neutrals' would go to watch teams for the football.

I tried and failed to get a ticket, so watched it in a pub close to Easter Road. It all seemed a bit flat until the last few minutes ...I can't remember anything after Motherwell's second goal went in.

It's more the hypocrisy of it I was trying to highlight. The irony of criticising me for failing to mention something they were indulging in themselves.

I think my point, poorly made as it is, was that politicians have far more power to implement societal change than football clubs do. Politicians can improve schools, indeed that's literally Humza Yousaf's job now. I agree that individuals have the ultimate power to change.

Regarding the origin of the use of the word Hun. It may be derived from a line in the republican ballad "The Foggy Dew" And from the plains of Royal Meath Strong men came hurrying through While Britannia's Huns, with their long range guns Sailed in through the foggy dew

I can say without any shsfow of a doubt have zero interest in how BBC Scotland view our title win.

Good chance for St Johnstone to do a cup double which would be a good achievement. Hopefully they do it.

We went down the Clyde Valley to the garden centres to avoid what we thought was the inevitable, keeping the radio off. We were in having a coffee when a guy walked in and said "that's it Glasgow Rangers are champions". I dived up hands in the air, shouting, to everyone's amusement. The champagne had been in the fridge for a few weeks and was duly scoffed. We will never forget it.

If UEFA decided to take the Euro matches away from the SFA, then I'd view that as a major plus point from last Saturday.

Easy for ewe to say...

Jim is a great guy. I almost got him to take me to a party in Glasgow after a game and book his car to take me up to Aberdeen after it. Fell through at the last minute ?

I'd like to see them go up. They've been so close in the past, and are still a very good side. The way they run things is admirable.

If Brentford do go up and I hope they do then I hope full crowds are allowed - those yellow seats are an eye sore

Forgot about this, might watch it later just to see Stewart hurting...

Oft! Toney misses a sitter! (31 league goals this season.)

Best game Ive watched in donkeys.

Apparently, Olivier Ntcham is available on a free. Just saying, like...

Any normal political party would have binned Yousaf by now

Toiling at the PC - I know, the Sabbath Day, no good’ll come of it - radio commentary in the background, reconciled to runners-up and suddenly Roger Mitchell squeaks ”and Rangers have won the league, Motherwell have scored”. Didn’t finish the PC job until the Tuesday. Motherwell and Gordon Marshall did their best that day. Anybody who was at Easter Road, how much of a go did the Hibs give it? From the TV highlights they seemed content to just play about a bit

Hibs. Not the Rod Petrie Hibs. But the old days Hibs and the Hibs of O’Rourke, Stanton, Brownlie and others. Many a pleasant afternoon at Easter Road when I couldn’t afford the ‘bus fare to a better place.

i was having a holiday in Jersey made for an even better holiday

Frankie and myself were watching it in a local pub, I was shell shocked for a couple of days, needed an operation to remove the smile from my face

Great question / thread. I was in Azerbaijan, out near the Georgian border - got our driver to defy all rules to get back into Baku. Found the first sports bar - it was full of Celtic fans with their game on all TV's and one TV with our game. Absolutely massive bounce when Novo scored - jumping on a sofa. When Motherwell scored even the Aberdeen fan with me started celebrating.

Them calling us Huns really started when Archer wrote that piece about the CWC Final in '72. Football rivalry has become a problem for those who run the game nowadays, it's a deeply unpleasant sideshow and our rivalry with that lot is an extreme example, due to the religious/political nature of it. Do grown men really get upset about getting called a nasty name? Surely not. It's a pantomime and we are definitely the villain.

Gribs yes you can still run Antivirus and highely recommend you do. All a vpn does, to the untrained eye, is make you look like you are some where else. It passes ownership and trust of your browsing history over from your internet service provider to whatever vpn service you trust, but for all other purposes you keep any security software or ad blockers etc you have now.

Politicians don't have the power to change these things. I don't know why so many are gripped by this silly fairy story. It's a matter for the individuals involved and, to a lesser extent, those close to them.

Surely, this is a joke? It's similar to an incident that occurred this morning. A chap walked into his GPs this morning, informing the Doctor he was attending his Mother-in-Law's funeral next Thursday and wanted advice on removing the permanent smile from his face. He felt a happy visog was most inappropriate for the occasion. The GP said, "no problem, I can book you in for the necessary minor surgery on Tuesday morning". Then, the GP asked, "just to ascertain the length of anesthesia required, how long have you had this condition"? The Bear answered, "oh eight weeks, since Rangers won the league". The GP solemnly asked, "are you a Rangers supporter"? The Bear beamed, "absolutely". The GP sighed, "since Humza Yousaf in now the Health Secretary, all vile sectarian Rangers supporting scum go immediately to the bottom of the NHS waiting list, see you in two years".