This is not about the match, I will make this clear now, this is about the other side of the UEFA Cup Final, one that should not be brushed under the carpet. No matter the idea that it is about the game and only the game of 90 minutes.For on that night it did not feel this way for me.
I went down to Manchester for the UEFA Cup final along with 11 others, comprising of friends, neighbours and family all of whom are Rangers fans. I am a Celtic fan and a Scot, I got talked into going as we have other cousins studying in Manchester who I don't get to see often enough.
150,000 fans in Manchester oh dear god in Govan.
It was fun and carnival like in the morning, sun shining and birds tweeting, all that kind of stuff. But as early as 3pm/4pm it started to take on an edge that I was not to comfortable with, and this was long before the screen went black shall we say.
It really was unfortunate for Manchester in some fashion that Rangers fans were so close in distance, hence the huge amount of fans that travelled down, Glasgow is only a five hour drive away.
The city of Manchester however made 25 million profit due to this fact, so it cannot have it both ways, but yesterday I couldn't help but think things are about to boil over and that was before the game had even started.
I felt unsafe and along with my friends and cousins around 9/10pm time we wished we were anywhere but Manchester. In fact we were lucky to get back into our hotel at night, as they shut everyone out of the hotels after the trouble broke out, no matter what state you were in.
You could not say it was only a minority that left Manchester city centre knee deep in waste, piss and vomit. It is not just the minority that sing songs linking Jock Stein to a child abuse cover up.
The idea of a minority, is close to the "few bad apples" line that is often dished out by organisations to abstain from taking any responsibility.
Minority, say 10% of Rangers fans, even then that is 15,000 people, and the club and all its fans are accountable, and the true Rangers fans tonight are feeling it and are angry at those who let their club down but they must take action.
There is no point is pretending that Rangers are just unfortunate. There is a long history of such behaviour, Rangers are the only team to be banned from European football for the fact their fans rioted after they won the Cup Winners Cup in 1972.
Rangers have a repeated get-out for these episodes: the script always says this is "just a small minority" of fans. Moreover, as incident upon incident passes with the club's supporters - at Villarreal in 2006, and Pamplona in 2007 and now in Manchester in 2008 - it is always "heavy handed policing" and not the Rangers fans themselves who are said to be the blame.
Well, this is no small minority of Rangers supporters, and nor are the greater Manchester Police renowned for their truncheon wielding brutality. Instead, this is a football club with a poison somewhere at its core.
English Journalists that I talked with yesterday in the town centre spoke of the disgust in hearing thousands proudly singing "up to our knees in Fenian blood."
In Glasgow this is the norm, but it is depressing, in Manchester it brought home the stupidity of such things in the modern world.
Both Old Firm clubs must do more, Celtic and Rangers must realise the fantasy and money maker that is bigotry in the West of Scotland needs leadership from the Old Firm the kind not yet seen by either party.
Until a remedy is found, the once-proud name of Glasgow Rangers FC will always trigger thoughts of yobbishness and bigotry. The club, to be blunt, is paying a heavy price for its century-long antipathy towards signing Catholic players, a policy which planted this bitter environment.
However that is another matter, Rangers fans are accountable and it cannot be shrugged aside and it now makes many fearful of having Glasgow Rangers come to play in their home town, no exaggeration needed, the sentence is testament due now to the actions and behaviour of the Rangers fans last night.
My Rangers supporting friends and cousins, all five cousins are season ticket holders at Ibrox, feel sick to their stomachs and embarrassed as well as angry, not with their team but its followers who they believe are not in the minority.
There will be an enquiry and this should be embraced by all that were there last night and all fans of Rangers football club.
To Rangers fans I say to you this, for not taking notice and not demanding better of your fellow fan this is as foolish an act as it is for those who took part in the violence that marred what could have been a great night.
I am thinking out loud but I mean it when I say last night was disgusting. Seeing dogs being released on grown men shouting "god save the queen" as they kick, punch and throw bottles towards an outnumbered police squad is not an image of Bristish football that sits well with me.
I hope lessons are learned, no matter the reason there was no excuse for what happened.
Of note, to UEFA why not use parks rather than city centres to hold the extra fans to watch on big screens. The fashion is to have something in the middle of town so the city can make its money and the atmosphere is felt throughout.
However, last night you saw the other side of that coin where it started with good intentions but soon became clear things had gone horribly wrong.
The match passed in 90 minutes but the shame one team has brought on the Scottish game and British football will long remain a thought over the coming summer and European competitions the years after, for not in 30 years have we seen behaviour like this in British soil.
Rangers fans take action, demand better of your club, write to them, articulate you want change, for this poison is at your core of your club make no mistake about it.
Alby Jnr.
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2 months ago
I once saw a headline somewhere after the Fiorentina match that said, "Walter Smith is in custody for the murder of the Uefa Cup". Rangers in no way deserved to be in that final. They did due to boring tactics and huge slices of luck. Now, they have every wishing they never made it to the final in the first place.
What i saw on the news this morning was disgusting and as you put it, " Grown men causing mayhem". Are you having a laugh? Thats real embarressing for Scottish football on the whole.....
Lets hope they get punished for it somehow....
from 2 months ago
I accept the fans were a disgrace and I'm deeply ashamed and glad I played no part in it but to say Rangers didn't deserve to be there is just BULL...we fought with everything we had to get there which was less than every club we beat.
What the hell is wrong with the football world!
from 2 months ago
The game is another matter, for me and for many others, anyone who gets to a final of whatever sport is deserving of such spoils, no matter the style and tactics used you do what you can with what you have.
When you have millions you buy the cream of the talent pool available... When you have lemons you make lemonade and do as best you can...
This article is not about the match or the Rangers team, by their actions their success as well as their failure, the team had no hand in the events which unfolded in Manchester.
But I feel strongly the club must take serious the events that took place that night.
from 2 months ago
Andrew, the article had nothing to do with the game itself. I chose to add that myself and I stand by it. Rangers had SEVEN goalless draws on the way to the final, including their CL games. I used to complain about my teams slightly boring tactics but with Rangers I witnessed "anti-football" taken to a whole new level...
No doubt what the few select fans did was a utter disgrace but 200 000 football fans travelling to another city, you'll always have a few brainless idiots that'll try and ruin it for everyone. I heard there wont be any big screens in Manchester for the Cl final. That means those few Rangers fans have also spoilt it United or Chelsea fans living in Manchester...
2 months ago
Well put. Cheers.
2 months ago
I will not be lectured on "hooliganism" by anyone who's team openly support murder gangs.
I will also not be lectured by someone,who's own supporters threw coins at the Rangers club doctor and a mobile phone at a Rangers player.
"People in glass houses....".................and all that !!!
Whilst the violence that happened can not be condoned,the GMP have a LOT to answer for.
Anyone who doubts this...............their is video evidence of this all over the web.
from 2 months ago
I thought the article was a great piece of writing from the heart and brought up the big picture in a fair way - the attempt to which I thought was skilled and quite brave. Your reply is so far removed from the mood of this debate - do not go for the glory shots tit for tat as this is lowest common denominator when replying. "Openly support Murder gangs" this is not the News Of The World or The Sun articulate yourself man or just read and keep quiet if you have nothing of worth to add. To that point I would be careful bringing up the comparison with Glasgow Celtic - the article only mentioned Celtic as the writer wanted to hold them up in a critical way for not doing more to combat bigotry. But if you do compare the two Glasgow teams I would suggest not to - as Celtic is a very different club to that of Rangers in support and conduct proven through the history of time. I expect the debate on this article will now become a row between Celtic and Rangers fans - although the article did no such thing that warrants this.
from 2 months ago
Next time I travel with my supporters group away in Europe next year - I bet we feel the heat from the police and authorities of foreign countries due to the actions of the fans in Manchester - this will stay with us for years to come.
2 months ago
As a Rangers fan I think many of us should write to the administration at Ibrox. I travel away with Rangers more often than not in Europe and I found the events in Pamplona which was mentioned in the article as more than I could take. As it says "we must demand better" of one another. We hired PR people after the last incidents abroad - Kenny Scott former high ranked Glasgow policeman was also hired to try gouge out the social disease which has clamped itself to our club but we must look at ourselves once again.
2 months ago
After witnessing the antics of the rangers fans in manchester this week. It has confirmed my thoughts on Scots in general. Losers, Cannot hold their beer and bigots. just glad that your teams were not allowed into the Prem!
from 2 months ago
Importantly it was you Englishmen that invented the damn thing. English hooligans were the first, it is maybe something to do with the Union Jack. Your hooligans were actually more significant in the 1970s and 80s, when large numbers travelled to matches in Europe. The Dutch in particular argued that English visitors triggered their own domestic hooliganism problems - you guys have been the benchmark for soccer violence by fools to come. European football's governing body Uefa banned English clubs from playing in Europe indefinitely - following the riot at Brussels' Heysel stadium in which 39 people died. Your country was banned from all competition due to your behaviour and I bet every bleedin Austrian is glad - the mighty English couldn't get past Croatia and failed to qualify for this summer.
In 1992 English hooligans caused violence and destruction at the European championship finals in Sweden - in 1995, a friendly international between Republic of Ireland and England in Dublin was abandoned after 27 minutes when England fans rioted. In June 2000 Uefa threatened to expel England from the Euro 2000 tournament after a weekend of trouble in Brussels which saw over 500 English citizens arrested, you guys write the book my lad.
2 months ago
Very articulate John (every post) however you history lesson, accurate as it was, was just that, history!! English fans abroad these days are generally the victims of this kind of stupidity. Why? Because the knuckle-draggers have either been banned, locked up or have given up the ghost because it's too difficult for them to have their fun without facing the force of the law.
This took, and still takes, a lot of effort and money from the police, the courts, the clubs and the FA. Similar medicine is required in parts of Scotland, and I think you accept that?
2 months ago
For christ's sake, wake up, Robert!
When will Rangers as a club waken up and stop nurturing this "we are the people" attitude which has led to yet ANOTHER set of shameless scenes from Scotland's Shame.
What we have witnessed is a direct result of the "tangerine" strips, the sectarian signing policy, the (until recently, having been FORCED by UEFA) condoned songs of genocide, the pre match Ibrox "entertainment", allowing the BNP to sell their filthy publications at every home game for DECADES, pressuring journalists to "play down" sectarian incidents involving Rangers and paying lip service to anti-bigotry campaigns while at the same time fostering links with other clubs with facist/bigoted support (linfield), sectarian singing from club officials during a closed doors San Siro game and explaining away violent behaviour by supporters at euro away matches with "it was the police's fault" or just flat denial aided by a pliant media(The Barcelona Whitewash). Rangers as a club are reaping what they have sown. For them to respond by distancing themselves from these fans who bought those "tangerine" strips in record-breaking numbers is laughable. Akin to training a pit bull terrier to be a vicious fighting dog and then denying ownership of said dog when it maims some schoolchildren.
And where is the posturing president himself? He who has presided over this nurturing of the vile morons who follow this poisonous "institution"? Hiding I suppose. Behind his PR company.
2 months ago
...and of course every time these accusations are put to Rangers or their fans...well we know their stock in trade reply...
"eehhh...but look at them! They sing songs about the IRA! Look!"
Aye. That'll will sort out all your problems. Morons.
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