The Terrible Journalism & Tom English Thread

[Leith Green]

I have just caught up with this. Christ....

Had a wee look online and I see the faux offended "its ma laddies favourite tune, so it is" mob are having a go at M Stewart for his questioning of this official video.

Much as I dislike Celtic, I wonder what the reaction would be if Celtic did a kit launch to the tune of some Reb song (with a variation on lyrics, of course)?

Rangers are, and always have been, taking the piss out of Scottish Football. 

Unfortunately Scottish Football continues to sook at their collective tits.

[Kyle Reese]

1 hour ago, Mark Connolly said:

Is it because they are Neanderthals?

Thought that was who the orange strip was supposed to celebrate.

[RandomGuy.]

5 minutes ago, Jacky1990 said:

it is at the very least a fucking daft move on Rangers' part to include this in official promotion material. 

Not really.

It's win win for Rangers. Moron element of their support love the club even more for using that song with one of the least subtle messages to go beside it ever, while the club gets well defended by the sensible ones who seem to be convinced there's a witch hunt against Rangers so they must defend it at all costs.

There's a really nasty undertone to everything Rangers have been telling their fans through these campaigns for years now, but the fans lap it up and defend it so it'll never change.

[Theyellowbox]

5 minutes ago, Leith Green said:

I have just caught up with this. Christ....

Had a wee look online and I see the faux offended "its ma laddies favourite tune, so it is" mob are having a go at M Stewart for his questioning of this official video.

Much as I dislike Celtic, I wonder what the reaction would be if Celtic did a kit launch to the tune of some Reb song (with a variation on lyrics, of course)?

Rangers are, and always have been, taking the piss out of Scottish Football. 

Unfortunately Scottish Football continues to sook at their collective tits.

The reaction would be much the same.

As much as they hate to acknowledge it, they are more similar to each other in every single way than they are anyone else.

Both clubs actively play on what they know to be sectarianism and for anyone else to say otherwise would just be deluding themselves. I'm not saying that they are belting out word for word the sectarian tunes and such, but they are tacitly doing it under the banner of respecting their roots and history, but know full well the signals it sends. Both are at it and just because one claims they are less so, doesn't mean they aren't at all. 

[10menwent2mow]

Yeah there's a lot of very sinister undertones in that video, not least the choice of music. The 'we were here first' and 'Glasgow is our city', while being factually inaccurate (Queens Park) is also there to pander to the moron element of the support and to an extent, antagonise everyone else. 

Edited October 15, 2021 by 10menwent2mow

[AndyDD]

2 hours ago, AJF said:

Michael Stewart making a fool of himself. Again.

He really can’t help but dive in two footed to condemn without actually getting his facts straight first.

 

Tweets arenae journalism, are they? Get this in the special wee cheeks forum with all the other pish yous two talk. 

[bennett]

In the last 6 months Penny Arcade, Sweet Caroline and now 4 lads had a dream have been targeted with the usual manufactured offence. 

 

 

[stressball]

Came to see the replies on the topic of using the melody adopted for the Famine Song, wasn't let down or surprised.

 

[AJF]

2 hours ago, Theyellowbox said:

I suppose that was my point. I understand the song and its link to this kit etc, but I think it's not a surprise that people also connect the tune to the other lyrics sung to it. 100% right it would otherwise be the correct song to use, but I'd argue that like others, the true intent of the song has been in some small way ruined by others.

You would know better than me, but while 90+% percent of fans at Ibrox would sing one lyric, there will be some signing the famine song.

It's all feeding into the wider narrative of a few (others can argue on the scale) fans constantly pissing on the parade of others by constantly undermining things.

It's clever marketing by the club to be fair. As you say, the song is sung every game and can be attributed to the founders, but creates a bit of a stir due to the recent events which further increases the shirts appeal. 

That's the thing though, the Famine Song doesn't get sang at Ibrox anymore, or at least I can't remember the last time it was. Away from the stadium and at away days yes, but not as far as I can remember recently at Ibrox.

Additionally, the Four Lads song and the Famine Song, while sharing the same underlying tune, are sang completely differently so it's not really a case where Four Lads starts that it then descends into the Famine Song, they are entirely different songs, Four Lads does not have "add ons".

 

1 hour ago, Dons_1988 said:

“Glasgow is our city” is pretty much “why don’t you go home” in my quite honest opinion. 

Also they are such try hards with the 150 years thing 

Oh come off it. Are you seriously suggesting "Glasgow is our city" is the equivalence of the official club channels saying "the Famine is Over why don't you go home?" It's very likely a dig at Celtic and their "This is our City. These are our streets" motto they went with last year and the "Our City" slogan they have embroidered on their current home tops. Unless, you believe there is different undertones to these messages too?

Celtic troll Rangers with ‘this is our city’ message as they tease adidas kit launch – The Scottish Sun

Celtic home kit leaked with ‘our city’ boast on shirt collar - Glasgow Live

39 minutes ago, Jacky1990 said:

The swastika is/was a symbol of divinity and spirituality in India while also being seen as a good luck sign in western society. But it doesnt mean that in 2021 its appropriate to send someone a swastika before a big exam now does it? 

It doesnt matter if the original song is entirely inoffensive and the most appropriate choice, once that song has been b*****dised by a bunch of arseholes, the song itself takes on a new meaning.

Given that people have been charged with singing the b*****dised version in the past few months, it is at the very least a fucking daft move on Rangers' part to include this in official promotion material. 

And come on now. That is an extreme black and white example you've used to fit this scenario. The difference is that the Famine Song is nowhere near as prominent as the Four Lads song which is sang at Ibrox frequently. Rangers fans hear that tune, they automatically associate it with Four Lads. If there was such an issue with the Four Lads song sharing the same tune as the Famine Song, then why hasn't it been raised as an issue before now?

My view is that Rangers used that song with it's intended purpose to refer to the Four Lads song which commemorates our founders to which this kit celebrates.

If anyone genuinely believes the clubs intended use was for it to be associated with the Famine Song, then I think they are going out of their way to be offended by nothing.

If they believe the songs intended use is to reference the Four Lads song, then surely they accept that it's use in this scenario is entirely reasonable and acceptable?

Edited October 15, 2021 by AJF

[Dons_1988]

In all honesty, it’s an absolute nothing story lads. 

Rangers are a grim institution devoid of any redeeming features but other than the hilarious 150 years patter there’s no story here. 

[Dons_1988]

1 minute ago, AJF said:

 

 

Oh come off it. Are you seriously suggesting "Glasgow is our city" is the equivalence of the official club channels saying "the Famine is Over why don't you go home?" It's very likely a dig at Celtic and their "This is our City. These are our streets" motto they went with last year and the "Our City" slogan they have embroidered on their current home tops. Unless, you believe there is different undertones to these messages too?

You never let me down. 

[Leith Green]

1 minute ago, Dons_1988 said:

You never let me down. 

 

[AJF]

7 minutes ago, Dons_1988 said:

You never let me down.

You should know by now I cannot detect sarcasm very well when in written form 

Edited October 15, 2021 by AJF

[Kyle Reese]

It's actually quite amusing that Sevco have become this really petty childish institution. It's a bit like a school kid changing the words to something rude in music class. Really weird club these days.

[Dons_1988]

Just now, AJF said:

You should know by now I cannot detect sarcasm very well when in written form 

To be clear, there’s no sarcasm in the post you quoted. 

[Mark Connolly]

5 minutes ago, AJF said:

That's the thing though, the Famine Song doesn't get sang at Ibrox anymore, or at least I can't remember the last time it was. Away from the stadium and at away days yes, but not as far as I can remember recently at Ibrox.

 

"We only sing it in the pub, on the streets, and at approximately half our games" possibly isn't the defence you thought it was.

[AJF]

3 minutes ago, Mark Connolly said:

"We only sing it in the pub, on the streets, and at approximately half our games" possibly isn't the defence you thought it was.

That was not the intention of what I was saying, it was specifically in relation to the point made that 10% of the Ibrox crowd would use Famine Song add ons to the song.

And given that the Four Lads song is always sang at Ibrox, I was making the point that, in my opinion, it's entirely acceptable to use that song in a promo video for a commemorative kit.

Edited October 15, 2021 by AJF

[Leith Green]

Just now, AJF said:

That was not the intention of what I was saying, it was specifically in relation to the point made that 10% of the Ibrox crowd would use Famine Song add ons to the song.

I have no idea who made a point about "add ons". Lets just ignore that one.

I appreciate that Rangers have told fans not to sing TFS at Ibrox, but they do sing it at Easter Road, and based on the responses on here plenty other away days.

Rangers board members of course will hear it sung at away grounds, so to sanction a song - any song - with that tune alongside an official launch is just taking the piss.

Its pretty simple, your club is using the 4 lads song as a dogwhistle proxy for The Famine Song.

[ropy]

I had never heard of this 4 lads thing before today, I am a Sloop John B man, I am aware of the TFS derivative.

[AJF]

7 minutes ago, Leith Green said:

I have no idea who made a point about "add ons". Lets just ignore that one.

I appreciate that Rangers have told fans not to sing TFS at Ibrox, but they do sing it at Easter Road, and based on the responses on here plenty other away days.

Rangers board members of course will hear it sung at away grounds, so to sanction a song - any song - with that tune alongside an official launch is just taking the piss.

Its pretty simple, your club is using the 4 lads song as a dogwhistle proxy for The Famine Song.

The point was made by @Theyellowboxin the post I previously quoted who mentioned that while 90% of people at Ibrox would be singing Four Lads, the other 10% would be using TFS lyrics. That's what I meant about add ons in the sense that when Four Lads is being sung, there are no Famine Song "add ons" or "substitutions", because they are entirely separate songs. 

And I respectfully disagree with the rest of your point. Intent is crucial here and if anyone believes that the song used during a 150th anniversary kit promo is intended to reference TFS rather than reference Four Lads (which is literally a song about our founding) then I think they are finding offence where there is none.