Ten years ago, today, I wrote this piece about a small milestone in the Ibrox story.
The signing of Alan Smith, a goalkeeper, was noteworthy simply because of his nationality.
Given his position on the field, it was unlikely that the young Irishman would see much first-team action.
However, a cynic might conclude that the club with a long history of anti-Irish racism among their fans had ticked a box.
Of course, two years later that club died.
The new interaction at Ibrox signed Dubliner Jon Daly, a striker, in 2013.
By then his Ireland career was over.
He had acquired seven U21 caps between 2002-2003.
When he signed for Sevco, I wrote this.
You may note the difference in tone to this piece in the mainstream at the same time.
Here is a telling quote from it:
“Make no mistake, it will be something of a culture shock to hear Daly’s lilting Dublin accent down Govan way.”
Regular readers will not be surprised that this statement of fact was not the start of an examination of anti-Irish racism at Ibrox.
When this site had begun in 2008 one of the first issues it reported on was the new addition to the Ibrox song sheet-the Famine Song.
The brief background is that the decision by UEFA in 2006 to rule against the Billy Boys meant that the klan had no readily available musical expression for their preferred flavour of racism.
I noted at the time that Rangers was unique in British football apropos the absence of Republic of Ireland players in their first team over the previous 20 years.
I have a working theory that if you remove the history from any analysis, then you excise the politics from it and render it incomprehensible.
The recent story about the abuse of Conor Goldson by the Ibrox klanbase was the subject of context-free coverage in SMSM.
For the avoidance of doubt, any reportage of the klan backlash against taking a knee that failed reference the worldview of Sevco’s dignified clientele was worthless as a piece of evidence-based journalism.
A decade ago, I hoped that my work on this subject would be picked up by some of the Fitba Fourth Estate in Fair Caledonia.
Ten years on, I realise just how naive I was on that one.
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Scotlands shameful sneaky and hidden racism
“She highlights an 1895 report that she stumbled upon in the National Library which recommended the eradication of Gypsy culture, starting with the children. It outlines the children being sent to Australia and Canada, and the deliberate strategy to assimilate Aboriginal people by using Gypsy people to ‘whiten the race’ and eradicate unwanted cultural traditions simultaneously. It’s the other unknown piece of the jigsaw of colonisation; apartheid right on our doorstep. “. https://www.google.com/amp/s/mumblewords.net/2016/08/17/jess-smith-the-turbulent-tale-of-scotlands-gypsies/amp/
Nothing will ever change with the self intitled orange club.I’m from Belfast and I have listened to their rascist and sectarian abuse all my life and I despair about their antiquated veiw of life.You cannot change people who are brain dead and refuse to listen to the truth.Hopefully the world will see them for what they really are someday but I doubt it.Perfidious albion has a hell of a lot to answer for
Fast forward a decade and the topic of racist sevco will be repeated (should they survive) on the blogs. I can’t see the 17th Century blue noses leaving their sectarian and racist kulcher behind anytime soon. HH
It should never deter you from shining the light of truth into the darkest of recesses of the Scottish psyche though Phil.
I am fairly confident that it won’t.
Nothing changes at Ibrox.
Maybe those associated with both Rangers clubs are wilfully ignorant,
or simply just don’t know what they don’t know?
But, what is a bit mystifying is this;
assuming that there is always “a Rangers” playing senior footy,
the Ibrox club is apparently playing for an ever decreasing support – and a rapidly decreasing, (non-existent ?), potential support.
Finances aside: its business model and growth is b#ggered in the long term.
CFC has a socially inclusive, global support.
It has opportunities for growth and development in the long term.
If the finances don’t finish off the Ibrox club, then eventually, the demographics will!
Is that what’s called ‘natural justice’ ? 🙂
Oh how I hope you’re correct.
When we return to CP, I’d love to see out fans applaud Goldson and his stance against the fans of that KKKlub.
After a resounding hoops win of course.