Scotsman Uses Sectarian Term to Joke about Pope Visit and Rangers Fans

[wabashcannonball 0]

There is an old saying , sticks and stones etc.... we seemed to handle things with so much more style in days gone by, we laughed at it.

 

The article may or may not be of interest, personally I couldn't give a fuk what anyone calls me, inner knowledge is a wonderful anvil.

 

 

 

Swastikas Over Ibrox

 

THERE IS a famous photo of the England football team giving the Nazi salute in Berlin in 1938. But less well known is the part Nazi politics played two years earlier, the last time a united Germany faced Scotland at Ibrox, on Wednesday, October 14, 1936.

 

The countries had only met once before, in 1929, when a makeshift all tartan Scotland team had drawn 1-1 in Berlin.

 

Yet despite the curiosity value, a crowd of 40,000 was much smaller than expected due to the political feeling about the game - even in 1936 there were strong misgivings about the Nazi regime, combined with bitter memories of the Great War.

 

The press even hinted that a demonstration was feared, but there were no signs of trouble on the day thanks to a heavy police presence. "Here were our enemies of a few years ago," one reporter wrote. "Were they fated to play the same role in the near future? Was this great gesture of sport a useless thing, already destined to be jeered at?"

 

Three days before the match the German party arrived at Renfrew Aerodrome and booked in at the Central Hotel before enjoying the time-honoured tradition of second house at the Pavilion. The next morning they went to Ibrox for a training session and were observed performing "a kind of goose-step, diverting the ball from one knee to the other". Sounds like keepy uppy!

 

As the game approached, the political overtones were rife. There was an atmosphere of having an unwanted guest to stay; no-one wanted to be rude and everyone ended up being overbearingly polite instead.

 

Mind you, Rangers and Scotland goalkeeper Jerry Dawson tried to make light of the situation: he dabbed a small black moustache on his upper lip and pulled his hair over his right eyebrow. "Dat's good fonny," a visitor remarked, trying hard not to show offence.

 

There was widespread suspicion that the German 'amateurs' were playing for more than just national pride after the humiliation of losing to Norway in their own Olympic Games. According to the Evening Dispatch: "The visitors will be keen to uphold the honour of their Fatherland, and as was the case with successful athletes at the Olympic Games there is no saying what reward will be meted out to the scorer of the winning goal should there be such luck for a German in the contest."

 

Rangers manager William Struth, familiar with most of the German players, said they did not have the finesse of Scottish footballers but were very fast, and their sudden bursts could rip open an opposing defence.

 

As it turned out, they could not have been more sporting opponents, and every time a German fouled an opponent he instantly extended his hand to receive the shake of forgiveness.

 

When the match came around, the start was delayed for 18 minutes, with the German party held up in heavy traffic. When the team eventually came out, they were wearing white shirts with red collars and cuffs, and black shorts - the Nazi colours; their shirt badge was a Nazi eagle.

 

The players lined up and gave a Nazi salute to the main stand to "loud applause", turned and saluted the opposite side, and again repeated the salute during both national anthems. The Scottish team refrained.

 

The visitors' actions, however, were echoed in the stand by about 500 Germans who had arranged a cruise to fit in this match with the weekend's encounter in Dublin against the Irish Free State. During both national anthems they stood to attention and gave the Nazi salute, as did the German press contingent, much to the bemusement of the Scottish reporters.

 

To make their politics entirely clear, the Germans had brought with them two large Nazi flags - red with a black swastika on a white circle - and these flew over the Ibrox stand together with a Union Jack.

 

At last the match could start. Playing attractive one touch football, the German forwards threatened the Scots goal regularly but nearly always failed to get a shot in, and when they did Dawson came to the rescue. Gellesch did have the ball in the net after just three minutes, but was marginally offside.

 

Scotland made few chances as they stuttered along, and reached half-time with the scoreline blank.

 

Stamina and experience paid off in the end, however, and Scotland's second half performance was enough to secure a 2-0 win with strikes from Celtic's Jimmy Delaney (67 and 83 mins), his first international goals.

 

Overall, it was a poor performance by Scotland who, although never in much danger of losing, failed to settle to a steady game. All the flair came from the visitors.

 

The Germans left the pitch with another Nazi salute to the crowd, and went on to Dublin where they lost 5-2. They can little have thought that it would be almost 60 years before a united German team again met Scotland in Glasgow. They would hardly recognise Ibrox, either, although the Union Jacks are still there.

 

Scotland: Dawson (Rangers), Anderson (Hearts), Cummings (Aston Villa), Massie (Aston Villa), Simpson (Rangers, captain), Brown (Rangers), Delaney (Celtic), Walker (Hearts), Armstrong (Aberdeen), McPhail (Rangers) and Duncan (Derby County).

 

Germany: Jakob (Jahn Regensburg), Munzenberg (Alemannia Aachen), Munkert (1FC Nurnberg), Janes (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Goldbrunner (Bayern Munich), Kitzinger (Schweinfurt 05), Elbern (SV 06 Beuel), Gellesch (Schalke 04), Siffling (SV Waldhof Mannheim), Szepan (Schalke 04) and Urban (Schalke 04).

 

Referee: Harry Nattrass (England).

[maineflyer 0]

Why don't we just take the editor's advice and use the word FEN1AN at every opportunity, since it quite accurately describes most supporters of that rancid football club.

[wabashcannonball 0]

Perhaps because that association would be inaccurate, the ****** party was founded as a non denominational party, indeed one of its founding members seen by many as its figurehead , was one Thomas Davis a member of the Protestant Irish gentry.

 

We really should not let the mhanks hi-jack everything Irish.

[bmck 117]

What I find most offensive, and I've a good mind to write, is it's shocking lack of originality and possible breach of copyright. It's essentially Frankie Boyle's joke about the election of the new pope being a confusing time to be a Rangers fan "Religiously I hate the guy, but politically, I see where he's coming from" in cartoon format.

 

The thing that annoys me most about the editor's response is that it's not that people are actually offended by the word, but at the disparity with which sectarianism is viewed. When against Celtic fans its religious bile to be viewed with the utmost gravity, when its against Rangers fans it's just the craic, why take yourself so seriously? Damn hypocrites! I don't think someone's a bigot if they call me a hun, just like I don't think someone's a bigot if they call a Celtic supporter a ******. Bigotry's not insults at a football match ffs - there is real bigotry in the world, and Celtic fan's crusade just debases the notion.

[maineflyer 0]

Perhaps because that association would be inaccurate, the ****** party was founded as a non denominational party, indeed one of its founding members seen by many as its figurehead , was one Thomas Davis a member of the Protestant Irish gentry.

 

We really should not let the mhanks hi-jack everything Irish.

 

Bit late for that mate. In this country today everything has been hijacked ... Irish, catholic, republican, these are all concepts reconstructed to represent that disaffected infestation now embedded into Scotland life. For 150 years they have systematically set about warping the fabric of Scottish life, until nothing is left that hasn't in some way been tarnished and compromised. So forget definitions that might have meant something else long ago, or how we should react if only things were other than they are. They only way to make any difference today is to see them for what they truly are, to understand their motives and to treat them accordingly.

[wabashcannonball 0]

Bit late for that mate. In this country today everything has been hijacked ... Irish, catholic, republican, these are all concepts reconstructed to represent that disaffected infestation now embedded into Scotland life. For 150 years they have systematically set about warping the fabric of Scottish life, until nothing is left that hasn't in some way been tarnished and compromised. So forget definitions that might have meant something else long ago, or how we should react if only things were other than they are. They only way to make any difference today is to see them for what they truly are, to understand their motives and to treat them accordingly.

 

 

Everyone has motives, history is littered with them, and as always the victors record that history will see their motives as righteous.

[andy steel 0]

There is another reason for doing this of course and I'm surprised the ones who turn their nose up to our complaints haven't grasped this. If coverage doesn't improve and if Rangers continue to be vilified while others are not, that will only serve to increase tension and increase volatility ensuring sectarianism (alleged or genuine) will never be removed. One side will make hay while the sun shines and the other will just say fuck it, let's fulfil the stereotype.

 

I'd contend that is happening more and more actually. Which only shows the anti-sectarianism industry (for that's what it is) to be more ridiculous than the subject it covers.

 

I feel the exact opposite, Frankie, that the balance has shifted away from 100% negative coverage of Rangers and 100% fawning over TGFITW to a far more balanced view, whereby we are rightly chastised for our behavioural failings but defended when there are mitigating circumstances (Romania, Manchester to a degree and so on). I feel this season especially has seen the usual email suspects who bombard the radio and TV given less attention, while the unmissable behaviour of said GFITW has seen their halo slip somewhat.

 

I don't have any beef with this complaint, not ever having read the Scotsman, but I don't think we're being singled out as much as before, quite a lot of which is down to the fans behaviour, some down to the media getting bored. I don't really care why it is as it will shift one way or the other soon enough, as it always has, but I can't agree it's getting worse at the minute.

[maineflyer 0]

I feel the exact opposite, Frankie, that the balance has shifted away from 100% negative coverage of Rangers and 100% fawning over TGFITW to a far more balanced view, whereby we are rightly chastised for our behavioural failings but defended when there are mitigating circumstances (Romania, Manchester to a degree and so on). I feel this season especially has seen the usual email suspects who bombard the radio and TV given less attention, while the unmissable behaviour of said GFITW has seen their halo slip somewhat.

 

I don't have any beef with this complaint, not ever having read the Scotsman, but I don't think we're being singled out as much as before, quite a lot of which is down to the fans behaviour, some down to the media getting bored. I don't really care why it is as it will shift one way or the other soon enough, as it always has, but I can't agree it's getting worse at the minute.

 

I'd be interested to see some evidence for what looks more like wishful thinking than a reflection of reality. Perhaps you're actually just closing your eyes/ears to the monotony of it all because I see no sign whatsoever of the change you claim ... Haven't heard anyone else mention it either but I'll pass your thoughts on elsewhere and see if folks elsewhere think a few words from Ewan Cameron constitutes a reversal of the onslaught.

[Stimpy 0]

I can have a laugh about any subject - especially sectarianism and the rivalry between Rangers and Celtic which is indeed often ridiculous.

 

However, I will not apologise for taking the issue of imbalance in the media seriously - be it tediously crass cartoons like these or more deliberately slewed coverage such as the Spiers/BBC Scotland collaboration of a few weeks past.

 

Let's be clear here.

 

This isn't about a lack of a sense of humour, being unable to accept criticism or taking false offence at a religious background most of us don't belong to. This is about Rangers (as a football club) and its fans (often as a majority) being unfairly singled out to blame for a social problem in Scotland. So much so, that we (and only we) are constantly tarnished in the media, reported to UEFA, reported to the SPL/SFA and censored to our conduct. To add insult to injury, we're then made fun of by our own such as McLellan when addressing the same questionable nomenclature being applied to us!

 

Irrespective of what we think about the rights and wrongs of certain terms, that is unfair and negatively preferential treatment. Would The Scotsman have published a cartoon about Celtic fans, fen!ans and/or child abuse cover-ups? No, so why Rangers fans, h*ns and Nazis?

 

Like the editor, I'm not overly offended about people using words like H** or even DOB. However, if I, my fellow supporters and my club are being penalised for using literally identical terms - including media coverage in papers such as the Scotsman right through to the seriousness of police prosecution then I'll protest long and loud if people doing the opposite are not highlighted in the same way.

 

There is another reason for doing this of course and I'm surprised the ones who turn their nose up to our complaints haven't grasped this. If coverage doesn't improve and if Rangers continue to be vilified while others are not, that will only serve to increase tension and increase volatility ensuring sectarianism (alleged or genuine) will never be removed. One side will make hay while the sun shines and the other will just say fuck it, let's fulfil the stereotype.

 

I'd contend that is happening more and more actually. Which only shows the anti-sectarianism industry (for that's what it is) to be more ridiculous than the subject it covers.

 

I'm sure there is a cartoon somewhere which could cover that parody. Now that would be funny!

 

Read this during my lunch-hour today. Great post!

[andy steel 0]

I'd be interested to see some evidence for what looks more like wishful thinking than a reflection of reality. Perhaps you're actually just closing your eyes/ears to the monotony of it all because I see no sign whatsoever of the change you claim ... Haven't heard anyone else mention it either but I'll pass your thoughts on elsewhere and see if folks elsewhere think a few words from Ewan Cameron constitutes a reversal of the onslaught.

 

Don't care if no-one else has mentioned it, I'm giving my opinion not anyone else's. Far from closing eyes/ears I find myself, at the start of the season, avidly consuming everything about The Rangers I can; I'm going by the understanding of our tactics on Wednesday, the comparisons like 'If it was Scotland we'd be happy with it'; the approval given to the fans, and the airtime given them on the Radio shows I heard pre and post match to give a balanced view of Manchester then and now; by a slight tilting in the printed word (such as I see) away from 'Huns all bad!!!' to 'Nobody's perfect'.

 

Alas, your assumption that I'm going by Ewan Cameron is incorrect, which just goes to prove that we can all read too much into things which aren't perhaps, there. You invented a position for me from my post, it's equally possible I'm inventing a position for the media from a few weeks.