The death of Rangers would be nothing to celebrate

[ian1964 10,545]

Originally Posted by Kevin McCarra;

There is a new chant at Celtic Park this season. "Jelly and ice cream when Rangers die," the fans cry. The frivolity in that taunt has receded as analysts examine the possibilities. Supporters now hear people well acquainted with the financial crisis at their Glasgow rivals speaking even of liquidation and the re-emergence of a new Rangers that would have to fight its way back up from the lower divisions.

 

Were that to happen, the consequence would be felt by everyone in Scottish football. Celtic's chief executive, Peter Lawwell, was bound to state that his club was not dependent on Rangers. Yet his stadium would no longer be packed if Scottish Premier League titles became a foregone conclusion â?? given that the remaining clubs are too small and lacking in revenue to pose a sustained threat.

 

There are deeper if more subtle ramifications. It should always be remembered that the term Old Firm began as a well-aimed jibe at the fact that supposed foes were truly business partners. Their feud made for excellent box office. The relationship between the fans themselves has never been as cosy as that, and the sectarian divisions remain as deep as ever, reaching beyond Glasgow.

 

In Lanarkshire, for instance, Coatbridge is considered a Catholic and Celtic homeland, while Protestant Larkhall is for Rangers. This remains true regardless of the decline in churchgoing. Celtic fans have a habit of defining themselves as Irish republicans and once sang of the bomb on Lord Mountbatten's boat that killed him in 1979. Rangers, with their union flags, prize the status quo.

 

Considering that it is the Scottish Nationalist Alex Salmond who holds sway as Scotland's first minister, it would be wise to doubt whether the common characterisation of Old Firm fans is to be taken at face value. If they loathe one another it is a question of animosity between tribes rather than a matter of principle.

 

On occasion, that mood paves the way for tragedy. In 1995, a young Celtic fan called Mark Scott was stabbed to death in an unprovoked attack as he walked past a pub associated with Rangers fans. His friend then started an anti-sectarian charity, Nil by Mouth. In 1996, Celtic launched their Bhoys Against Bigotry campaign. At that time, Rangers declined to start a parallel project â?? they felt the problem could be dealt with in a low-profile manner â?? but in 2003 they launched their Pride over Prejudice initiative.

 

The Ibrox disaster of 1971, when 66 people died in a crush on the stairs at an Old Firm game, gave rise to some empathy between the two sets of fans, but that feeling has not lasted.

 

The positions adopted by supporters can be pushed to extremes as each set strives to emphasise that there can be no common ground with the other. At a match in 2010, a week before Remembrance Sunday, some Celtic fans unveiled a banner directed at the armed forces: "Your deeds would shame all the devils in hell. Ireland, Iraq, Afghanistan. No bloodstained poppy on our hoops." Presumably there was no space left for even a footnote on the conquest of fascism in Britain's military history.

 

Should Rangers be demoted to a lower division because of their financial crisis it would restore some prominence to, say, Aberdeen, but that club would still have no prospect of a return to the greatness of 1983, when they defeated Real Madrid to take the European Cup Winners' Cup. In those times players remained the property of the club even when their contracts had expired.

 

Celtic and, until the current plight, Rangers are now the only clubs in Scotland to spend anything more than a modest sum on players, yet it is rare for either to make an impact in European competition. If the crowds have continued to roll in, it is partly because non-attendance would be a sign of weakness in the vendetta.

 

Rangers' plight could all the same be a new beginning in which fans realise that they cannot afford to be onlookers. The rescue could yet involve the supporters combining to take a stake in a new Rangers, so giving themselves the task of looking after their club as well as watching the team. The current torment would thus ensure that Rangers are better protected by future generations of fans.