Broxi 11,433 Posted May 28, 2013 Author Share Posted May 28, 2013 Jon Daly, a Catholic from the Republic of Ireland, has signed for Rangers. There has been a minor fuss about this event in sections of the Scottish press.Has the fuss been justified?For unfortunate historic reasons to do with Rangers FC, yes. In terms of the Rangers of today, seeking to be modern and "cleansed", no.Quite a number of Rangers supporters, seeing their club yet again being depicted as some sort of 19th century caricature, have been dismayed by the media coverage of Daly's arrival. And their frustration is perfectly justified.I meet scores of fresh-faced, new-generation Rangers fans - students, teachers, accountants, office workers - who have no truck at all with the old bigotry associated with the club. In fact, they are left nonplussed by these old sores, which they have neither known, nor felt, nor wish to be any part of.There is a new generation of Rangers supporter which is pretty impressive. To paraphrase Walter Smith, who often lamented the political/religious "baggage" around Ibrox, these supporters just "love the club for the club's sake".To such fans, the arrival of Jon Daly is fine. His racial and religious background is an irrelevance. Indeed, their view of some of the press coverage around Daly's signing - and questions asked of the striker in coming to Rangers - has been cynical and infuriated.On the other hand, given that Daly's arrival represents another cutting loose with the past by Rangers, it would be odd if the Scottish media had not passed some sort of comment, or provided some historic context.Without labouring the point, a high-profile Republic of Ireland player signing for Rangers seemed long overdue. That country's production of football players has been impressive for 25-plus years, and it seemed that just about every other principal club in Britain had managed the feat of enlisting at least one of them.Rangers had not - and some not infrequently noted it. It offered an unfortunate impression of old, outdated attitudes prevailing at Ibrox. I don't believe that to be the case today - but the suspicion lingered.Rangers FC will never fully escape its embarrassing past. The club over decades espoused a sectarian policy which disparaged Catholics and, in turn, fuelled a boorish terracing attitude towards Republic of Ireland players.The modern Rangers has moved on from those days, though the smell occasionally lingers. Three years ago I sat inside an executive office at Ibrox when a Rangers director, with whom I had got into some minor dispute, said to me: "Graham, the previous policy at this club was disgusting."It is that previous policy which means that, when such as a Jon Daly from Dublin signs for Rangers, some today will pass comment.We don't need to obfuscate here. The vast majority of Rangers fans are utterly unconcerned by their new striker's background. It is a non-issue to them.On the Rangers fans' message-boards, the odd nutty objection is still aired to Daly's arrival, but that is the nature of these things. In Rangers' case, the bigots among the club's support-base are well and truly being left behind. Let these guys howl at the moon…they are done for, they are finished.Amid all this, Daly's own attitude has been refreshing. Indeed, he echoes what the modern Rangers supporter is all about.I was told back in February by Rangers that Daly was on his way. Apparently, the player really wanted to sign for the club, he was very excited at the prospect. Indeed, barring a medical mishap, Daly's view was that he would be going nowhere except Ibrox.The player has been bemused by the fuss over his arrival. He is not oblivious to Rangers' unfortunate history, but nor does he consider it a "live" issue today.Good on this player, I say. I hope Jon Daly is a thorough success as a Rangers player.Rangers cannot evade its past - we have seen this yet again. The club, with an abysmal policy, established a reputation from which, in the modern period, it is taking decades to recover.Jon Daly's arrival is one more staging post. And a significant one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broxi 11,433 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Jon Daly, a Catholic from the Republic of Ireland, has signed for Rangers. There has been a minor fuss about this event in sections of the Scottish press.Has the fuss been justified?For unfortunate historic reasons to do with Rangers FC, yes. In terms of the Rangers of today, seeking to be modern and "cleansed", no.Quite a number of Rangers supporters, seeing their club yet again being depicted as some sort of 19th century caricature, have been dismayed by the media coverage of Daly's arrival. And their frustration is perfectly justified.I meet scores of fresh-faced, new-generation Rangers fans - students, teachers, accountants, office workers - who have no truck at all with the old bigotry associated with the club. In fact, they are left nonplussed by these old sores, which they have neither known, nor felt, nor wish to be any part of.There is a new generation of Rangers supporter which is pretty impressive. To paraphrase Walter Smith, who often lamented the political/religious "baggage" around Ibrox, these supporters just "love the club for the club's sake".To such fans, the arrival of Jon Daly is fine. His racial and religious background is an irrelevance. Indeed, their view of some of the press coverage around Daly's signing - and questions asked of the striker in coming to Rangers - has been cynical and infuriated.On the other hand, given that Daly's arrival represents another cutting loose with the past by Rangers, it would be odd if the Scottish media had not passed some sort of comment, or provided some historic context.Without labouring the point, a high-profile Republic of Ireland player signing for Rangers seemed long overdue. That country's production of football players has been impressive for 25-plus years, and it seemed that just about every other principal club in Britain had managed the feat of enlisting at least one of them.Rangers had not - and some not infrequently noted it. It offered an unfortunate impression of old, outdated attitudes prevailing at Ibrox. I don't believe that to be the case today - but the suspicion lingered.Rangers FC will never fully escape its embarrassing past. The club over decades espoused a sectarian policy which disparaged Catholics and, in turn, fuelled a boorish terracing attitude towards Republic of Ireland players.The modern Rangers has moved on from those days, though the smell occasionally lingers. Three years ago I sat inside an executive office at Ibrox when a Rangers director, with whom I had got into some minor dispute, said to me: "Graham, the previous policy at this club was disgusting."It is that previous policy which means that, when such as a Jon Daly from Dublin signs for Rangers, some today will pass comment.We don't need to obfuscate here. The vast majority of Rangers fans are utterly unconcerned by their new striker's background. It is a non-issue to them.On the Rangers fans' message-boards, the odd nutty objection is still aired to Daly's arrival, but that is the nature of these things. In Rangers' case, the bigots among the club's support-base are well and truly being left behind. Let these guys howl at the moon…they are done for, they are finished.Amid all this, Daly's own attitude has been refreshing. Indeed, he echoes what the modern Rangers supporter is all about.I was told back in February by Rangers that Daly was on his way. Apparently, the player really wanted to sign for the club, he was very excited at the prospect. Indeed, barring a medical mishap, Daly's view was that he would be going nowhere except Ibrox.The player has been bemused by the fuss over his arrival. He is not oblivious to Rangers' unfortunate history, but nor does he consider it a "live" issue today.Good on this player, I say. I hope Jon Daly is a thorough success as a Rangers player.Rangers cannot evade its past - we have seen this yet again. The club, with an abysmal policy, established a reputation from which, in the modern period, it is taking decades to recover.Jon Daly's arrival is one more staging post. And a significant one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elephants stoned 2,994 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Britney still claiming hes got his finger on the pulse of Rangers fans feelings Fuck you britney and fuck your pathetic attempts to curry favour with us, and even now you cant resist your dig at a percieved signing 'policy' decades ago that didnt even exist Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMB 14,167 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Fuck Graham Spiers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCDBigBear 10,763 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 No such thing as a good article by that odious individual. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jack1690 793 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Obfuscate?The guy is a fucken clown who, if he uses obscure words, thinks he's more clever than his "readers".When in reality it makes him look even more of a tit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie 505 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 It's actually very superficial, predictable and lacks balance.About normal from Spiers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMB 14,167 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Britney still claiming hes got his finger on the pulse of Rangers fans feelings Fuck you britney and fuck your pathetic attempts to curry favour with us, and even now you cant resist your dig at a percieved signing 'policy' decades ago that didnt even exist Speirs said on SuperScoreboard that Rangers, in his opinion, were a new Club. How does that fit in to the article above in terms of the Clubs history.For those that might have forgotten, Spiers also had us guilty of the FTTT before the result was even in. He compaired Rangers use of EBTs to financial doping 'paramount to match fixing'. He also said the Tribunal went against us and he was surprised to see Rangers fans celebrate it as a victory. Total cunt of a man. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry739 267 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 No such thing as a good article by that odious individual.This Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
minstral 5,375 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Written by a top class wanker. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scarkev 3,540 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 I was rather taken by the contradiction in the topic title of good article and Graham Speirs being used in the same sentence and having read it my cynicism was justified. This is not a good article. In a very roundabout and what I bet he assumes to be clever way he is yet again criticizing a signing policy that hasnt existed for nearly 50 years whilst completely ignoring the bigotry from Celtic fans and commentators on this issue and in general, as no-one seems willing to confront. The other factor that seems to be ignored is exactly what Irish player could we or would we have signed in the last 20 years or more to the point who would have signed for us......Would Roy or Robbie Keane have donned the famous red, white and blue? Not a chance! Bigotry goes both ways yet as usual we are the only culprits according to some! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky_ 893 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 the media, Spiers included, simply love this issue. They can;t get enough of it. Given the choice of writing about something like this or coming up with a match report, they'd chose the politics every time.Maybe we need to start kicking the toys out of the pram so we'e not such easier target for this kind of media treatment, the media would get lynched if they wrote about the Seltics Catholic-only boardroom 'policy' or how their club benefited for the 20+ year cover-up of child abuse which would have all but destroyed their 'brand'. I'd imagine death threats via twitter like Collum and the rest have endured would be the order of the day. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mitchellenman 20 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 A good article by Britney? Surely not Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUDGIE52 9 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Souness tried to sign RoI players both Houghton and Whealen springs to mind its not our fault they didn't want to come and who knows which other RoI players the club may have enquired about over the years and things came to nothing.Its a feckin myth we didn't want to sign Irish players played on by ra mhedia. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RFC55 107,764 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 You think thats good? Its full of absolute bullshit.When souness arrived he tried to sign an roi international (cant mind who) and he had to decline. Not through our fans but those from the roi.I cant believe you A posted this shite and B think its a good article.A sectarian signing policy aye lets forget the catholics that played for us from our beginning to the present day Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elephants stoned 2,994 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Speirs said on SuperScoreboard that Rangers, in his opinion, were a new Club. How does that fit in to the article above in terms of the Clubs history.For those that might have forgotten, Spiers also had us guilty of the FTTT before the result was even in. He compaired Rangers use of EBTs to financial doping 'paramount to match fixing'. He also said the Tribunal went against us and he was surprised to see Rangers fans celebrate it as a victory. Total cunt of a man.Hes just on one of his pretend to be sympathetic to us moments, he'll be back to his new club pish soon enough. The mans more mixed up than a fruit salad, and twice as fruity Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
westendblue 3 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Who told this wretch that daly was going to sign, who connected to our club would tell spiers if he was on fire? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco Negri's Beard 1,423 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Hows it a good article?It's a goldfish bowl moron bringing up religion yet again, despite the fact very few actually care. It's yet another article in which he tries to get his digs in.If the point he makes about 'does anyone even care anymore' were what he really wanted to put across, he wouldn't have written such a shit-stirring wee articleSorry, but he's at it again Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RFC55 107,764 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 I do enjoy the high profile catholic chat. That makes me laugh."pope fails rangers medical" Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elephants stoned 2,994 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 I was rather taken by the contradiction in the topic title of good article and Graham Speirs being used in the same sentence and having read it my cynicism was justified. This is not a good article. In a very roundabout and what I bet he assumes to be clever way he is yet again criticizing a signing policy that hasnt existed for nearly 50 years whilst completely ignoring the bigotry from Celtic fans and commentators on this issue and in general, as no-one seems willing to confront. The other factor that seems to be ignored is exactly what Irish player could we or would we have signed in the last 20 years or more to the point who would have signed for us......Would Roy or Robbie Keane have donned the famous red, white and blue? Not a chance! Bigotry goes both ways yet as usual we are the only culprits according to some!Exactly the mhedias swept all the abuse Dalys taken from the mhanks totaly under the carpet, its the usual bullshit from them, Rangers bigots, celtic craicsters. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smile 26,592 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Bad Article dressed up to sound positive yet falling on its arse. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterC 12,194 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 You think thats good? Its full of absolute bullshit.When souness arrived he tried to sign an roi international (cant mind who) and he had to decline. Not through our fans but those from the roi.I cant believe you A posted this shite and B think its a good article.A sectarian signing policy aye lets forget the catholics that played for us from our beginning to the present dayRay Houghton was the player in question. Daly will get my support, I do not care what his background is, all that matters is to me is whether he can do a job for us and serve our club well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterC 12,194 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Threads merged Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alnic3856 358 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Oh wait a minute? is this Spiers saying our history is intact? and we are in fact the same club as we have always been? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCPRANGERS1 2,997 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 I was rather taken by the contradiction in the topic title of good article and Graham Speirs being used in the same sentence and having read it my cynicism was justified. This is not a good article. In a very roundabout and what I bet he assumes to be clever way he is yet again criticizing a signing policy that hasnt existed for nearly 50 years whilst completely ignoring the bigotry from Celtic fans and commentators on this issue and in general, as no-one seems willing to confront. The other factor that seems to be ignored is exactly what Irish player could we or would we have signed in the last 20 years or more to the point who would have signed for us......Would Roy or Robbie Keane have donned the famous red, white and blue? Not a chance! Bigotry goes both ways yet as usual we are the only culprits according to some!Well said that man! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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