Supporting Celtic/Rangers

[clacher_holiday2]

nobody becomes a good rangers fan just because they live close to the ground.  im sure if i was brought up with the same family on ibrox road id probably have hated them at a much younger age, next door neighbours or not.

those who claim to be fans of just their football or fans because theyre from the southside of glasgow are as much of a problem as those with somewhat more sinister reasons for following the club.  theyre guilty of the same bigotted crimes by association, if ict were associated with the same anti-catholic / anti everything brigade then theres no chance id support them even though theyre my local team (well, kind of, i dont live in inverness!)

you know im right  :011:

[buckett]

Hmmmmm.

:006:

[chris123]

do be fair apart from that poor soul in the caleyjags.com gallery of us beating rangers in october the whole of govan has blue and white blood

[clacher_holiday2]

means nothing to me caley100, if a club like rangers with their fanbase existed in inverness id still not support them for the same reasons.  most of the rangers fans in govan are broughtup to believe that being a bigot and racist is ok, as is imposing that same belief onto the identity of their football club

if you can see a difference between out of town bigots and home grown bigots then ferry muff.  even the small number of huns in that area of glasgow who claim to love the club but hate the sectarianism thats supposedly tagged onto them are to blame, if they were serious about hating it then they would prove it by denying their support for rangers.

thats like saying you'd vote bnp to save the pound or to cut crime, regardless of racist imigration or defence policies theyve come up with

[true jaggy]

the think that annoyed me the most was that there was a banner with inverness on it, how dare they associate our city with that scum.  a so called scottish club with england and union flags at ther game is also shamefull but thats nothing new. celtic are just as bad with the irish flag imagine showing someone a celtic game  who had never heard of them before and trying to tell them that they are a scottish club not irish ??

[Heilandee]

Jim Traynors take on thing's.........

RED HAND OF ULCERS AND EMERALD BILE

TRAYNOR

RANGERS, we salute you. Toiling in the SPL and out of both cup competitions they were able to step into Europe and raise their game.

Fair enough, they were up against a poor side in Hapoel Tel Aviv, but scoring four times in the UEFA Cup is still a pretty decent achievement.

So, once again, Rangers we salute you.

But hold on, maybe we don't. Or to be more accurate, perhaps shouldn't. Maybe it is insulting to print that.

I mean, won't Celtic's fans get all pious about the mere mention of Rangers and salutes?

Probably, but too bad. The pair of them, what are they like?

Scotland's football giants are among the largest clubs in Europe, yet still too many on one side remain up to their knees in sectarian mud while a section of the other lot refuse to be cashiered out of the Boys of the Old Brigade.

Sometimes you look closely at the people around you in this, the so-called best small country in the world, and think what a bubbling, steaming cesspit it actually is. We are about as modern and sophisticated as Borat.

But at least he's proud of his country, unlike so many of the Old Firm's fans who simply refuse to get rid of their Irish paraphernalia. When you see them with their flags and giving their red hand of Ulster salutes you do wonder why they want to live here.

If the bond with the place across the water is so strong that they cannot accept they are Scottish supporters backing Scottish clubs what possible reason could there be for hanging around in this country? Unless, of course, it is just to annoy, embarrass and shame the rest of us.

Please, stop clinging to the past and try to move on. Brother Walfrid would hang his head in shame if he could witness some of the spiteful specimens who have aligned themselves to his charitable effort while decent folk in Northern Ireland must squirm when they see Rangers fans pay twisted homage to that part of the world.

So what if generations ago labourers came across to work in the Clyde's shipyards. That's no reason to be celebrating an Irish connection at Ibrox all these years later, but then again these people are not interested in Northern Ireland.

They believe they are somehow protecting Protestantism and it really is bollocks.

Let it go lads, there are no Catholics hiding under your beds or waiting to steal your women. Come on into the modern world, it's actually quite a nice place.

Why, if we believe it is important to send tartan emissaries from the business community out into the world to promote the country, do we then allow morons attached to football the freedom to travel abroad and destroy any of the good work achieved by businessmen and women?

People in other countries must be looking on at the Irish, British and Scottish flags when the Old Firm play and wondering if we are a nation of schizophrenics. We don't know who we are or where we belong.

Frankly, these so-called fans belong in locked wards.

It is a form of insanity and some of us are sick of their behaviour. They are incapable of understanding that their time has long gone and that there are people within their clubs who cringe when they see or hear them.

They are not wanted yet they continue to linger like a bad smell and every now and then their clubs have to make excuses for them.

For instance, UEFA were alarmed at pictures of a small group of Rangers fans with their arms raised and palms up during the club's match in Tel Aviv a couple of weeks ago. The Ibrox club pointed out that these were not Nazi salutes but red-hand signals.

UEFA, in their wisdom, decided that was all right then. Nothing to see here, nothing to be done.

Whether or not they were all redhand salutes and nothing at all to do with Hitler's mob - although there are many who have their doubts - what kind of mentality must a person have to indulge in such behaviour in Israel of all places?

How were the people there supposed to interpret that salute?

Whatever those fans were doing that night was at best insensitive and at worst cruel and hurtful. People who are thinking straight and who have respect for others just wouldn't do it. It is that simple and Rangers need to send out more of their strong messages which, hopefully, are sinking in.

Unfortunately they have some slow learners.

But there is no place for their attitudes in a modern society and that message applies to those Celtic fans who still believe terrorist organisations are to be lauded. And please, don't tell me this kind of Celtic fan no longer exists.

There are still fans, especially among the away support, who belt out the Boys Of The Old Brigade and who would just love the freedom to do it at Parkhead. Fortunately, the majority of the season ticket-holders will have none of that these days, but there are still throwbacks.

If that were untrue then Celtic's chairman Brian Quinn and chief executive Peter Lawwell wouldn't have to make their occasional pleas for reason and tolerance.

Both clubs have come a long way in the fight against sectarianism and should be supported more by our politicians but the Old Firm have to persevere and do more to make sure sections of their fans don't disgrace all of us. Please, ditch the Irish stuff and all that comes with it.

What is really so terrible about supporting football and Scotland in the correct manner?

[Guest rakketyrory]

I would normally support rangers and celtic in europe because scottish football needs noticed but There is not a chance that that was the red hand of ulster salute and even if it wasnt the Rangers board asked the fan to stop it and they continued. Just think of the extreme terror that Hitler caused in the jews. They should have the sense to stop even if it was originaly the red hand of ulster salute. Rangers should be relegated to the 1st division and fined

[buckett]

I think some of us are over-estimating the intelligence of those who make this hand signal.

Whether it is "technically" a red hand salute or a nazi salute is immaterial to them - it is done purely to cause offence.