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Good Article By Graham Spiers On Daly


Broxi

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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.

1369745979-725.jpg

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 It offered an unfortunate impression of old, outdated attitudes prevailing at Ibrox.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.

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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.

1369745979-725.jpg

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.

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Britney still claiming hes got his finger on the pulse of Rangers fans feelings :rolleyes: 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 :wanker:

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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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 :lol: aye lets forget the catholics that played for us from our beginning to the present day

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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 :sherlock:

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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 article

Sorry, but he's at it again

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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.

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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 :lol: aye lets forget the catholics that played for us from our beginning to the present day

Ray 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.

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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!

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