Time to face up to Old Firm banana republic
Barry Ferguson and Glasgow Rangers fans deserve each other...
There are occasions in life when the actions of an individual may not be unexpected, but the extent of them may well still surprise you. The Barry Ferguson situation that appears to be unfolding at Rangers is one such example. For those of you who have not seen the news, the Rangers man has been stripped of the captaincy following his being caught on a drinking bender while on international duty, along with goalkeeper Allan McGregor. This would be bad enough in itself. But the pair than went on to flick the V sign with their fingers from their position on the Scotland bench throughout what was an absolutely vital qualifier against Iceland.
Scotland went on to win 2-1, but what was an excellent result for them has been overshadowed by the situation. Walter Smith has shown that there is at least some dignity left in Scottish football by stripping Ferguson of the Rangers captaincy, dropping the pair of them and he now appears to be about to put them on the transfer list.
Good for him. Smith should rightly be applauded for illustrating that no Rangers player is above either his country or his club. The generally odious element that are the Rangers fans have predictably hopped on the bandwagon, backing the manager and talking about how Ferguson was too cocky, how he should never have thought he was bigger than Glasgow Rangers. I wonder who gave Ferguson that impression? Surely not the same fans who forced one of the most talented young managers in Europe out of the club over his refusal to back down over dropping one Barry Ferguson? Paul Le Guen is the architect of the great success Lyon have enjoyed in France over the last number of years – they had never won a league title before his arrival – and he has taken a terrible Paris St Germain side and turned them into title contenders. He is clearly a very good manager, and had he received the same backing as Smith has now, I have no doubt that Rangers’ wait for a title would be over.
However as usual the xenophobic and intolerant “fans” that make up a majority of old firm regulars did not allow him that time – how dare a French upstart drop the poster boy of Scottish football? Unfortunately this is what has come to pass as par for the course in the Banana Republic of Old Firm football. The terrible scenes that accompanied last year’s UEFA cup final in Manchester were proven to be more than a coincidence with the continued use of disgusting, vile and racist chanting by the Rangers fans, epitomised by the abuse the alleged “Fenian bastard” Aiden McGeady received in a recent Old Firm game. While I am in no way suggesting that Celtic fans are saintly in any way, one cannot deny that the incidents involving the blue half of Glasgow are far more common and more severe than those instigated by the hoops. There certainly wasn’t any trouble at the Celtic vs. Porto final a few years earlier, quite the opposite with FIFA awarding Celtic fans the fair play award for their conduct in Seville.
Having said that, hopefully this incident is the first step in a much needed wake up call to Scottish football. Ferguson and McGregor’s behaviour is proof that the disgusting behaviour of the fans is being translated onto the pitch, and the fact that they chose to insult the entire tartan army with their behaviour shows their contempt for anything past their empire at Rangers. Scottish football is about more than Celtic and Rangers – it’s about time their players and fans recognised this.
posted by Oz @ 5:07 PM
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