It has been a recurring theme in this site that the Fitba Fourth Estate in Fair Caledonia will not honestly address the true nature of the Ibrox klanbase.
In one sense, that is one of the reasons for the accidental success of this place.
This site is free to view and fully searchable.
It started in July 2008, and the following can be found here:
The Famine Song, the Dallas email, the accurate reporting of the financial tsunami approaching Ibrox a decade ago, the legal reality of liquidation and the shady offshore origins of Sevco.
For the avoidance of doubt, I long ago gave up that the sports desks would deal honestly with the realities of the Ibrox entity.
There are, of course, some very honourable exceptions, but there are pitifully scarce on the ground in Fair Caledonia.
Consequently, it is good to see what journalists furth o Scotland view the Ibrox franchise.
This piece in the Greek City Times by Alexandros Marchetos is definitely worth your time.
It has a headline you will probably NEVER see in any Scottish blatt.
“Scottish football does not have a sectarianism problem, it has a Rangers problem.”
Here is a key section:
“There is undoubtedly a systemic bias in Scotland to paint over a century’s worth of the most vile anti-Catholic and anti-Irish sentiment emanating from Rangers.
“Celtic FC was established for Irish immigrants to Glasgow escaping the British-engineered potato famine.
“As the colonised people, Irish immigrants experienced intense racism when migrating to the British imperial heartland.”
Compare and contrast the foregoing with this contribution from the BBC’s Tom English.
Of course, there is no reason why Tom English from Limerick arriving in Scotland should have immediately appreciated the lived experience of the multi-generational Irish community in his adopted home.
However, by now, if he was paying attention, he should recognise the reality that anti-Irish racism is at the core of the Ibrox matchday experience.
If he thinks that telling the truth on a vitally important issue is being “led into a burning building”, then he might consider that he’s in the wrong business.
Earlier in the week, my attention was brought to the stunning revelation by Radio Clyde’s Hugh Keevins that sixty years ago, racism wasn’t a problem in Scotland!
Here is the transcript where an incredulous Gordon Duncan tries to get Hugh to dig himself out of a hole:
HK: “I watched my first Celtic/Rangers game 61 years ago. And for me, speaking as a private citizen I think it’s worse now than it was 60 years ago.
GD: “Racism is worse now than it was 60 years ago?”
HK: “Not racism. Not racism, because we really didn’t practice racism 60 years ago.”
GD: “Really? Listen, anyone tuning into Superscoreboard will be saying what is going on here? But Hugh, I’m only 31 years of age and there were words used when I was young I don’t really hear now.”
HK: “I’m talking 60 years ago. It was all about sectarianism. And now sectarianism has been added to by racism. And for me, the atmosphere between the hardcore, I’m not talking about Mr. or Mrs. Whoever who go to Celtic Park or Ibrox that brought the family up on Celtic or Rangers. I’m talking about the hard core. It’s worse now than it was 60 years ago.”
GD: “I’m not sure how you’re confident enough to make that sort of conclusion.”
HK: “On the basis that you weren’t born and I was, then I can draw on personal experience of 60 years ago and in my personal experience, it’s worse now. The intensity of the dislike.”
GD: “I’m wondering if it’s social media is making you think that.”
HK: “No, no, just walking the streets makes it makes me think that.”
GD: “So you think you think racist language, sectarian language is more is more commonplace now than it was back then?”
HK: “I’m taking racism out of that on because 60 years ago racism was not the problem that it is now.”
GD: “Again now we are going miles away from football, and I appreciate I’m younger than I wasn’t there, I find that really hard to believe. We’re talking about an era where people genuinely feel discriminated against in terms of jobs and opportunities because of the colour of their skin or where they were from. You just have to ask any family that came here from elsewhere.”
HK: “And that problem was solved.”
GD: “When?”
HK: “I think you can no longer have a newspaper advertisement for a job, which would say RC’s need not apply.”
GD: “But that’s my point. I’m not just talking about that. How can you say that things were better then than they are now if that was even an issue?”
Oh dear…
I’ve met Hugh on several occasions, and he’s a kindly soul.
However, both he and Mr English are fully compliant with the strictures of the Sectarian Framework.
This excises the ethnic from any analysis and, in effect, denies the existence and ipso facto the legitimacy of the Irish community in Scotland.
Moreover, the officially sanctioned narrative that both these chaps are thrilled to apropos the current Rangers entity is utterly Orwellian.
Dear reader, it is telling that it takes your humble correspondent in Dún na nGall and some fella in Greece to point out what many people in Scotland feel in their bones every time they hear the Ibrox klanbase up at full volume.
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Have the Govan Club apologised to Furuhashi directly yet for the actions of their Supporters or was this a PR exercise and a case of damage limitation for brand Rangers?
I’m sure that question must have crossed the minds of the MSM at some point in the last few days since they’ve been lauding the swift actions of Rangers (and rightly so) in dealing with the offenders 🤷🏻♂️
I guess we will see what happens at the weekend when a full Ibrox goes through it’s songbook and chant repertoire 🙄
“Right lads you know the drill ,mics on mute and headphones set tae Level 5…”
So true Phil , it’s hard to try and get away from but it’s rife in Glasgow every day , Every job they are relentless 👎 and these COViD tests Will be doctored
I think Mr Keevins will find if he casts his mind back that he wasn’t paying attention to what was going on with racism or any other form of intolerance back 60yrs ago, and that partially explains his divisive comments. I could also conclude that his latest bout of verbal diarrhoea could be attributed to him having a “senior moment” or maybe that someone slipped deludamol in his tea, there is a lot of it going around, especially in Scotland.
Tom English, what’s in a name, in this case something rather telling, but best for me to say nothing about this kind of “Irish man”. My father a Letterkenny man had an irrational distrust of those from Gweedore and Limerick for some reason, I wish I could ask him why..
Hugh is suffering from the classic error. Back then it was so engrained in life it didn’t stand out….it was pervasive. Now at least it is often highlighted. Racism exists everywhere it needs to be highlighted and rooted out at Ibrox and elsewhere. It’s not a minority singing those songs. There are also many negative behaviours at Celtic Park I would like to see stamped out. The anti Orange chants are unacceptable to me.
Hugh Keevins has said quite proudly and time and time again, that his radio job has paid for two daughters’ weddings so we can assume he was willing to take any stance, including an anti-Celtic one, in order to keep it but I think he has been hoisted by his own petard here. This time, I believe he was speaking in code and was basically saying, in so many words, that anti-Irish feelings are stronger today which I believe is true. I know many people with Irish backgrounds, however distant, feel the same. I believe his basic premise was 60 years ago people including Ranger’s supporters were nicer and less aggressive than the cloned variety and that is why he was struggling to explain himself.
Of course I may be wrong it has been known.
It’s all Greek to me:
“Scottish football… has a Rangers problem.” 🙁
Nobody in the SMSM, nobody at Ibrox and nobody at Hampden will EVER address these issues effectively.
A PR campaign here and there does just enough to support whataboutery in their denials.
IMO, nothing will change until/unless CFC as a club stands up.
…but we all witnessed just how spineless our Board was by thwarting Res.12…
You hate what you fear the Raingers and their apologist must be terrified
After a week of lauding little *rangers for their swift action regarding the abuse of Kyogo. The arrival of the Celtic team and board should not have the usual vile abuse throw at them from anti Irish, child abuse and paedo shouts.
If so this should be all over the same channels and media.
Worth mentioning the Hugh has subsequently apologised for his comments
He revels in his ignorance of the modern world, so don’t think this is a mea culpa but more of a “apologise or your sacked” demand from his bosses.
Keevins comes across as an absolute dinosaur, he doesn’t understand “new/social media” but that’s the game he’s in and he should be trying to understand but instead he comforts himself in outdated modes, as him and his ilk in MSM are plunging to extinction.
He’s like the old bigot in the pub, drinking and dribbling on his own “why can’t we go back to the good old days where you could use (derogatory slurs). Me and my mates weren’t offended, it’s PC gone mad”, blah, blah.
wrt Tom English, he knew the rules of the game when he joined BBC Scotland and is happy to play to them. He quite often cries “whataboutery” to shut down criticism of Ibrox but surprise, surprise (not) he’s employed a wretched example of it to downplay the racism against Kyogo.
So that’s OK. You can spout any garbage that you like on live national radio as long as you say sorry on twitter the next day?
Did he say sorry the next night on the radio show? No I didn’t think so.