0% Villa - Classless Celtic supporters

[wif]

I cannot pretend to understand the difference in politics between the 2 sets of supporters, I don't.
 But do they travel under one banner when they follow Scotland? If so do these political matters ever arise or is it just accepted that following their national side comes without political differences?
 Just wondering because we are always told how well behaved their support is on a national level.

Many of the Rangers fans I know don't follow Scotland - I know several born and bred Glaswegians who put on England shirts whenever there's a major tournament.  I think it's to do with being ultra-British, and disliking anything to do with anti-Britishness, like Scottish independence, or Scottish nationalism.

[PeterWithe]

I cannot pretend to understand the difference in politics between the 2 sets of supporters, I don't.
 But do they travel under one banner when they follow Scotland? If so do these political matters ever arise or is it just accepted that following their national side comes without political differences?
 Just wondering because we are always told how well behaved their support is on a national level.
 

With Rangers banging on about England and Celtic singing about Ireland, I'm not sure there are enough hours in the day to devote to Scotland.

[johnc]

Not to mention Aidrie supporting the Krauts!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1329830/Airdrie-United-football-club-puts-Nazi-picture-Remembrance-Day-programme.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

[KevinGage]

I cannot pretend to understand the difference in politics between the 2 sets of supporters, I don't.
 But do they travel under one banner when they follow Scotland? If so do these political matters ever arise or is it just accepted that following their national side comes without political differences?
 Just wondering because we are always told how well behaved their support is on a national level.
 

There would be moderates in all of this, that often gets overlooked.

Alex Ferguson was a Rangers fans but his brother was a Celtic one. And the purple faced perennial watch checker was apparently as chuffed as most Celtic fans when Jock Stein's team became the first (and so far only) Scottish side to win the EC. Particularly with a side made up entirely of players born within a 30 mile radius of Glasgow.

There probably are other examples of split families like that, though I'd imagine it's more prevalent in other parts of Scotland that it is in Glasgow, which has long been divided along religious lines.

I'd imagine also that some of those who indulge in all things orange on match day or rebel songs leave it at the ground. It's probably pantomime as much as anything else and they probably just take the piss out of each other at work on Monday.

But for those who genuinely live it I don't think supporting Scotland ever really comes into the equation. As the previous poster mentions, you have the curious phenomenon of some tattoo clad Gers fans supporting England and those who see themselves as true Celtic fans supporting Ireland. Even if their blood  ties to that country are three/four generations away.

Fergus McCann did a lot of decent work in trying to force home the point that actually, Celtic are a Scottish club first and foremost but he came in for a fair amount of stick in doing so.

[Chico Hamilton III]

Alex Ferguson was a Rangers fans but his brother was a Celtic one

And Kenny Dog-Leash was a boyhood Rangers fan.

[PeterWithe]

As was Danny McGrain who I think is still Celtics record appearance maker.

[Chico Hamilton III]

Danny McGrain

"Tartan Talk, with Danny McGrain" ( And Derek Johnsone every other week)

[KevinGage]

I forget the exact breakdown but a fair chunk of that Celtic EC winning side were from the other side of the tracks, so to speak.

On the one hand you could give them praise for being so open in their selection policy. But if they hadn't been they'd have had an incredibly small pool to pick from.

In contrast, even today 2010 Rangers haven't had an Irish catholic or Rep Ireland international play for them. Whether they've tried to sign one and no player has yet felt confident enough to cross the divide I'm not sure. They have signed at least one Scottish catholic though (Johnston) and a fair few from Spain and Italy.

[kippaxvilla2]

Carlos Cuellar goes to our church every Sunday.  And is a Eucharistic Minister.

[dave.woodhall]

In contrast, even today 2010 Rangers haven't had an Irish catholic or Rep Ireland international play for them. Whether they've tried to sign one and no player has yet felt confident enough to cross the divide I'm not sure. They have signed at least one Scottish catholic though (Johnston) and a fair few from Spain and Italy.

A hundred years too late, Rangers will sign anyone and their supporters don't care. They've had Catholic captains and at least one manager.

[KevinGage]

In contrast, even today 2010 Rangers haven't had an Irish catholic or Rep Ireland international play for them. Whether they've tried to sign one and no player has yet felt confident enough to cross the divide I'm not sure. They have signed at least one Scottish catholic though (Johnston) and a fair few from Spain and Italy.

A hundred years too late, Rangers will sign anyone and their supporters don't care. They've had Catholic captains and at least one manager.

The events around the signing of Mo Johnston would suggest otherwise.

There was a definite policy of exclusion in the past, ex players like Ferguson and Craig Brown have publicly said so. Souness was the first one to really try and tackle the problem head on and that wasn't 100 years ago, closer to 20 and a bit. Others have taken the thing on further with signing the likes of Boli, Amaruso and Cuellar. 

So it seems that it's a bit more palatable to the Rangers support base to sign a foreign catholic from mainland Europe than it as a catholic from Scotland or Ireland. The distinct lack of the latter even in this day and age provides a fairly decent yardstick in that regard.

[dave.woodhall]

The events around the signing of Mo Johnston would suggest otherwise.

There was a definite policy of exclusion in the past, ex players like Ferguson and Craig Brown have publicly said so. Souness was the first one to really try and tackle the problem head on and that wasn't 100 years ago, closer to 20 and a bit. Others have taken the thing on further with signing the likes of Boli, Amaruso and Cuellar. 

So it seems that it's a bit more palatable to the Rangers support base to sign a foreign catholic from mainland Europe than it as a catholic from Scotland or Ireland. The distinct lack of the latter even in this day and age provides a fairly decent yardstick in that regard.

A lot of nonsense was written about the reaction when Johnston signed but the truth is that the ovewhelming majority of Rangers fans were perfectly happy. It was said by the club that a total of one season ticket was returned. How many Scottish/Irish Catholics do they currently have in the team? I don't know. But bearing in mind that Catholics make up something like 15% of the Scottish population, it wouldn't take many to get an accurate reflection of the country as a whole.

[Villa'Zawg]

The events around the signing of Mo Johnston would suggest otherwise.

There was a definite policy of exclusion in the past, ex players like Ferguson and Craig Brown have publicly said so. Souness was the first one to really try and tackle the problem head on and that wasn't 100 years ago, closer to 20 and a bit. Others have taken the thing on further with signing the likes of Boli, Amaruso and Cuellar. 

So it seems that it's a bit more palatable to the Rangers support base to sign a foreign catholic from mainland Europe than it as a catholic from Scotland or Ireland. The distinct lack of the latter even in this day and age provides a fairly decent yardstick in that regard.

A lot of nonsense was written about the reaction when Johnston signed but the truth is that the ovewhelming majority of Rangers fans were perfectly happy. It was said by the club that a total of one season ticket was returned. How many Scottish/Irish Catholics do they currently have in the team? I don't know. But bearing in mind that Catholics make up something like 15% of the Scottish population, it wouldn't take many to get an accurate reflection of the country as a whole.

I think Rangers have just as much Unionist/UVF bollocks around their club as Celtic do with the Nationalist/IRA bollocks. They're opposite sides of the same coin.

[dave.woodhall]

I think Rangers have just as much Unionist/UVF bollocks around their club as Celtic do with the Nationalist/IRA bollocks. They're opposite sides of the same coin.

Without a doubt they are, and they need each other in the same way the EDL and flagburning idiot Muslim groups need each other.

[barrysleftfoot]

   Rangers fan as i am, but i have to disagree with you dave.

   When Jock Stein , who was a Protestant, was asked if he had 1st choice over Rangers who he would sign, Pele, a catholic, or another player, who was a protestant, i think it was Best.Stein said Best, as Rangers "would never sign a Catholic".

  Muc as i hate sticking up for Celtic and their obnoxious supporters, i think they have been a bit more enlightened asa football club.