Follow Follow Rangers. Season 2023/24

[IrishBhoy]

Gascoigne making that gesture is more to be pitied than anything else. I won’t make any judgement on his life choices as it’s clear to see just by looking at him that he’s struggling with something, wether that’s his mental health, an addiction problem or something else. He will have been fully aware of the connotations of that gesture, and probably gets asked to do it on a regular basis by Rangers fans. It was a stupid decision made by a guy with a long history of making stupid decisions, who was happy to pander to an audience where he knew it would be lapped up. 
 

It does decent Rangers fans and the club themselves no favours either. The club can hardly come out and condemn their own supporters for sectarian behaviour when they have an ex player standing in the middle of the pitch mimicking an orange order flute band. The fans that lap this sort of stuff up really need to bring themselves in to the 21st century too, the time for marching along town centres singing songs about a 15th century battle has surely passed. 

[D Angelo Barksdale]

Mimicking taking a hit from a crack pipe at someone's birthday party. How low can this man get ?

[AJF]

2 hours ago, Dons_1988 said:

You’re a decent guy but I think one day it’s going to hit you square in the face just how much you’ve turned a blind eye to for your club. 

Well, that may be the case. I like to think that I’m not too indoctrinated to the extent I lose any critical thought. I just believe that this gesture fails any test to be deemed sectarian going by any definition of the term.

Could I be wrong? Yes, and as today has proved, many will disagree. It was described as semantics earlier and I don’t think that’s inaccurate either. I know what Gascoigne done was wrong, there no complaints there. I just don’t feel it was sectarian and that’s my only point here.

[DukDukGoose]

1 hour ago, AJF said:

Well, that may be the case. I like to think that I’m not too indoctrinated to the extent I lose any critical thought. I just believe that this gesture fails any test to be deemed sectarian going by any definition of the term.

Could I be wrong? Yes, and as today has proved, many will disagree. It was described as semantics earlier and I don’t think that’s inaccurate either. I know what Gascoigne done was wrong, there no complaints there. I just don’t feel it was sectarian and that’s my only point here.

If it wasn't sectarian then what was the purpose of it?

[AJF]

10 minutes ago, Merkland Red said:

If it wasn't sectarian then what was the purpose of it?

To pander to his audience. To be sectarian it would need to display prejudice towards another faith. I don’t think his gesture ticks that box.

[gaz5]

To pander to his audience. To be sectarian it would need to display prejudice towards another faith. I don’t think his gesture ticks that box.

Seriously, you're one of the few Rangers fans on here that comes across well consistently, but please stop with this line of defence for your own credibility, it's a massive own goal.

There's no reason for anyone connected to Rangers to pretend to be playing the flute inside Ibrox other than as a wink and a nod to sectarianism.

Context is everything.

Making a flute gesture in most places isn't directly sectarian (on that you're right), making a flute gesture at Ibrox, to pander to the hordes singing about bouncing on Catholics every week, with the history and connotation of the gesture in that context, 100% sectarian.

[Buckets]

6 hours ago, AJF said:

That’s the thing though, the OO itself is not an anti catholic hate group (no laughing at the back please).

I had it explained to me in my younger years from someone in it that said while they are obviously pro-Protestant faith, there is no official stance on being anti-Catholic and they believe there should be tolerance of differing religions whilst disagreeing with them. The overriding purpose was to promote a belief in their god and Protestant ascendancy. They obviously acknowledge a large portion of members sadly will hold sectarian beliefs, but again, not all of them do which is why I don’t think the gesture alone would be considered sectarian.

I mentioned a criminal act because if it was deemed a sectarian gesture then whoever done it would be guilty of abusive sectarian behaviour which I believe is a criminal offence in Scotland?

The protestant "ascendancy" alone is surely bigoted/sectarian? It was a period where Irish people had their lands stolen from them and were banned from speaking their language, practicing their religion, or having the right to vote. Anyone that thinks that kind of thing is OK or joins an organisation to support this is certainly bigoted. Its about supremacy it's not exactly hidden. When Rangers play up to the orange stuff it makes it harder for the decent fans to call it out because it then becomes a part of the football club rather than a section of hard-core fans. 

I doubt Gazza could care less about the Orange Order or Catholics and Protestants but what do you expect when he knows Rangers fans and the hard right England fans will lap it up. 

[Buddie Holly]

disgusting to see so many drunken parents encouraging their weans into a life of hooliganism

the way those mini thugs invaded the park at full time was like watching the end of the hibs cup final again 

time for social work to step in and remove the kids from their vile parents before it’s too late

[Drew Brees]

 

[RandomGuy.]

5 hours ago, AJF said:

To pander to his audience. To be sectarian it would need to display prejudice towards another faith. I don’t think his gesture ticks that box.

I wonder what the thousands of young Rangers fans seeing that celebration for the first time are being told it stands for?

And the circle will begin anew with the ones told the truth, as their young minds see a Rangers legend, absolutely adored by 50,000 fans, get applauded and cheered for a public symbol of sectarianism. 

Normalising, and encouraging, it is wrong, but both Old Firm sides, both club and supporter, seems to allow it to continue endlessly to promote the "brand". You're just yet another fine example of why it continues. A "sensible" mind who knows it's wrong, but instead puts his efforts into making excuses for those who don't based on the club you support.

Edited March 27, 2022 by RandomGuy.

[kingjoey]

The photo is probably best summed up as sad and pathetic, as are the fellow players who seem to be smiling along with his antics.

[Dons_1988]

8 hours ago, AJF said:

Well, that may be the case. I like to think that I’m not too indoctrinated to the extent I lose any critical thought. I just believe that this gesture fails any test to be deemed sectarian going by any definition of the term.

Could I be wrong? Yes, and as today has proved, many will disagree. It was described as semantics earlier and I don’t think that’s inaccurate either. I know what Gascoigne done was wrong, there no complaints there. I just don’t feel it was sectarian and that’s my only point here.

I think you see rangers as just a normal club that happens to have some unsavoury people and incidents attached to it, which the club is a victim of.

But there’s a long, long list of incidents from fans, players and the club itself that you can talk away, in isolation, as not passing the sectarian test. 

[Melanius Mullarkey]

8 hours ago, AJF said:

Well, that may be the case. I like to think that I’m not too indoctrinated to the extent I lose any critical thought. I just believe that this gesture fails any test to be deemed sectarian going by any definition of the term.

 

You’re either in denial or extremely thick.

[Melanius Mullarkey]

15 hours ago, stressball said:

Got to love bigoted alcoholics…

Did he pretend to batter his wife as well, the cheeky chappy.

[Antony]

1 hour ago, RandomGuy. said:

I wonder what the thousands of young Rangers fans seeing that celebration for the first time are being told it stands for?

And the circle will begin anew with the ones told the truth, as their young minds see a Rangers legend, absolutely adored by 50,000 fans, get applauded and cheered for a public symbol of sectarianism. 

Normalising, and encouraging, it is wrong, but both Old Firm sides, both club and supporter, seems to allow it to continue endlessly to promote the "brand". You're just yet another fine example of why it continues. A "sensible" mind who knows it's wrong, but instead puts his efforts into making excuses for those who don't based on the club you support.

How do Celtic FC encourage anti-protestant bigotry?There's a number of Celtic fans who have outed themselves as being as bad as anyone over the years but constantly refusing to separate anti-catholicism from Irish republicanism/anti imperialism is a big problem in Scotland and arguably one of the reasons why the 2 won't be tackled. The two things may not be needed in 21st century Scotland but they are 2 different issues with different histories. I can see why "ugly sisters" and "arse cheeks" resonates with a lot of people but when it comes to addressing the issues we can't just say "one is as bad as the other, throw them in the sea". This attitude means everything needs to be done even handedly. It's why the word to describe Rangers fans is being deemed as sectarian, so that it's not seen as biased when anti-Catholic slurs are clamped down on. And it's maybe why harsher punishments haven't been looked at for some of Rangers chanting because they would need to do the same for Celtic's Republican songs which would be a more complex issue. 

If people want to say the 2 clubs are as bad as each other from a football point of view then that's fine but in terms of the 2 societal issues it's not really 2 sides of the same coin. What's worse comes down to your own morals but they are very different issues that need handled differently. 

[Empty It]

Shocked to see Rangers fans falling over themselves to excuse that bigot wasters actions.

ETA.
Claims he regrets his sectarian actions but the horde claiming that he wasn't being sectarian [emoji23]

[Squonk]

37 minutes ago, Antony said:

How do Celtic FC encourage anti-protestant bigotry?There's a number of Celtic fans who have outed themselves as being as bad as anyone over the years but constantly refusing to separate anti-catholicism from Irish republicanism/anti imperialism is a big problem in Scotland and arguably one of the reasons why the 2 won't be tackled. The two things may not be needed in 21st century Scotland but they are 2 different issues with different histories. I can see why "ugly sisters" and "arse cheeks" resonates with a lot of people but when it comes to addressing the issues we can't just say "one is as bad as the other, throw them in the sea". This attitude means everything needs to be done even handedly. It's why the word to describe Rangers fans is being deemed as sectarian, so that it's not seen as biased when anti-Catholic slurs are clamped down on. And it's maybe why harsher punishments haven't been looked at for some of Rangers chanting because they would need to do the same for Celtic's Republican songs which would be a more complex issue. 

If people want to say the 2 clubs are as bad as each other from a football point of view then that's fine but in terms of the 2 societal issues it's not really 2 sides of the same coin. What's worse comes down to your own morals but they are very different issues that need handled differently. 

While I appreciate your argument, I will never for the life of me understand why Celtic's away support should feel compelled to mimic freedom fighters/terrorists firing bullets at the home fans in my club's stadium during a sporting event involving 22 people chasing a bag of air round a field.

Back on topic, The Rangers* fans in sectarian bigotry denial shocker! 

[RandomGuy.]

51 minutes ago, Antony said:

How do Celtic FC encourage anti-protestant bigotry?

Your club literally led with a tagline of "this is our city" at the same time as revelling in being a "Catholic club".

Any form of research shows you what those words mean in Glasgow in a Catholic v Protestant context.

Your fans still regularly sing "Roamin in the Gloamin" too, which the club does nothing about.

That's ignoring the fact that Celtic put as much effort into making sure they have the Irish tricolor on their strip in some form as Rangers do to have Orange in their team wear. Both clubs know the Catholic v Protestant angle makes them money so both promote it.

Trying to excuse yourselves from a two way rivalry that's encouraged sectarianism/bigotry from both sides for decades is just a pathetic attempt at pretending its not your problem to solve.

Edited March 27, 2022 by RandomGuy.

[Highlandmagar]

On 24/03/2022 at 14:50, AB1872 said:

You know why. 

We are Her Britannic Majesty’s XI 

Who didn't pay Her Britannic Majesty's taxes.

[williemillersmoustache]

No premiership card this weekend and yet the the Rangers* still manage to humiliate and disgrace themselves in equal measure.  Fair play.