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A Guest Writer Says "hullo Hullo"


D'Artagnan

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https://immortalrangers.wordpress.com/

One of the most rewarding experiences for any writer is when an article they have written becomes the catalyst for others to express their own thoughts. The following piece, written by John from Vanguard Bears, has particular resonance for me as it encapsulates the kind of spirit which has seen us through some very trying times as a support. Small wonder then that lifelong Celtic supporter Jim Kerr, paying tribute to our incredible support in a recent interview remarked that he couldn’t see any other fanbase support their club in the way Rangers fans have. So I’m delighted to feature John’s article which encompasses a spirit which does not acquiesce, submit or surrender.

To The Rangers Board and whomever else it may concern,

As of Monday the 28th of December 2015 the Rangers support has reclaimed our traditional anthem The Billy Boys’. We were told back in 2007 that UEFA had ‘banned’ the song, you’ll struggle to find anybody within UEFA or from the then regime who will ever be able to prove this – it wasn’t and can’t be banned without a major can of worms being opened. Just see what would happen if this ever went to The European Courts of Human Rights.

The length and breadth of the British Isles various football clubs and their supporters have their own version sung to the tune of ‘Marching Through Georgia’. Keeping it local, we have fans of Ayr United who are regularly ‘up to their knees in Killie blood; a reference to their rivalry with Kilmarnock F.C. Kilmarnock fans themselves have their own version as do fans of Dundee, Hearts and Morton. Why would any court ban our amended version?

Without question, no set of supporters have made more concessions and cleaned up its act than the massive and loyal Rangers support. Even though the offending word in ‘The Billy Boys’ is used by supporters of Glasgow’s east end team to refer to themselves, we’ve happily dropped the word as it’s not even what makes the song what it is to us. We await them doing the same with their religious slurs against Protestants.

We now have an amendment to The Billy Boys’

Hullo hullo we are the Billy Boys
Hullo hullo you’ll know us by our noise
We’re up to our knees in Celtic blood

You’ll see this keep us inline with the clubs, mentioned earlier, when their supporters sing their versions to ‘Marching Through Georgia’

With the unstinting loyalty the great Rangers support showed in getting the current regime into the boardroom we are going to assume the same backing is returned in relation to our anthem. We will no longer kowtow to haters and bigots who refuse to address far more pressing issues, but will tune into a Rangers game hoping to be offended and in many cases just making up stories for those who suffer from faux outrage. It is now time for the board to pay close attention to what the haters and bigots are really all about and be clear on their agenda and no longer pander to them. As a Club we make it easy for them to keep chipping away at our identity by not backing the life line of the greatest Club on earth,

The real problem non Rangers fans and players have with it is just how rousing it is, it’s all about that sudden outburst of “HULLO HULLO” it drives our players on and the opposition have no comeback to it.

It’s back, it’s amended, it’s ours’..”We are the Billy Boys”

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In an ideal world sense would prevail and that version would be fine to chant at Ibrox but we live in the Republic of Scotland run by bitter and twisted Catholics who bend and amend the laws/rules to make sure we dont get to sing our song.

I admire the effort and passion those who try to fight those people but sadly we have laid down for too long and getting it back would be nothing short of a miracle IMO.

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This actually made me smile a wee bit.

A lot of the random words/phrases and versions of the song that people have come up with sound silly, childish and not really passion filled. Things like "we'll shut them up, when we win the cup... for we are the super Billy Boys"... camp and silly in my opinion.

Up to our knees in Celtic blood is aimed solely at our football rivals.

Other teams sing songs aimed at rival teams as stated in the article.

Celtic as a team (although the fans may not admit it) are a team of various faiths, backgrounds, beliefs and upbringings - not all Catholic choir boys just off the ferry from Ireland 5 years ago, so it's not a song that singles out one group, one country, one faith.

Let's hear what happens on Saturday

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Would hope that the club come out and say that the new version is okay to sing. That would reassure fans that are scared to sing, and end up getting arrested by the police, and end up with a criminal record.

Again for the thousandth time mate the club will never back a song that contains up to our knees in (insert any name and blood)

It's just not gonae happen.

It would need to be a happy clappy version for the club to back it

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Won't matter what the words are changed to,the likes of English,Spiers and those who tune in hoping to be offended will simply ignore that fact. It's probably the most rousing anthem out there and when belted out at a full Ibrox simply awesome. And they want it banned simples. It's also another excuse to chip away another part of the hated Rangers as well as having another kick. And now that it appears the vile bheast "support" is finally being placed under scrutiny instead of the obligatory blind eye there is even less chance of this campaign ending. Changing a word won't change a damn thing.

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When I lived in Luton, and went to a lot of the games, one of their songs was

Hello, hello,

We are the Luton Boys,

Rpt.,

And if you are a Watford fan

Surrender or you'll die....

It WASN'T actually a death threat. And as so many other clubs sing very similar versions, it frankly is astounding that we are the only club I know of who have been punished for singing a song like this. In fact, as I see it, they are trying to marginalise us in the manner of punishing clubs in the Balkans, who have been through real Civil Wars, and they appear to be applying the same measures against us.

The version/the key word which so offends them is FENIAN. However it has never stopped the celtic fans using the word themselves , and proud they are to do so.

They are invoking racism here to demonise us, and I applaud the author of this, to finally take on the twats who are trying to kill the club, and to challenge them in Law.

It feels like, and is an attempt by an immigrant mob to completely take over the host nation and try to erase the history and traditions, CHIPPING AWAY, ONE THING AT A TIME; the constant and unending attacks on the club, AND THE CULTURE, must make all Rangers fans feel like victims.

That was their intention.

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I don't think the club will or should have to agree to any song. It's up to us to change the few offending words and belt it out loud & proud like the hibs game and challenge any fallout all the way in court if need be.

Would this not be a legitimate use of the RFFF (if there is any left).

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I've no been to as much games lately being down in London. Watching the Hibs game on the telly with the volume cranked right up I had a shiver down my spine when I heard the Billy Boys being belted out by the bears!! Was like the good old days!!

Keep it up. Sing Celtic blood, rebel blood or whatever you like. Fuck Speirs and English. If fans groups release statements saying we've Amended the words and it's no different from the other teams mentioned who sing it then they don't have a leg to stand on.

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Would hope that the club come out and say that the new version is okay to sing. That would reassure fans that are scared to sing, and end up getting arrested by the police, and end up with a criminal record.

for me this is the missing piece of the puzzle. Its all very well individuals or fans groups doing this off their own back, but to make sure everybody is aware of the change and to make sure there are no further issues with it, It requires the club to engage the reverent parties so that the change in wording is formalised, articulated clearly to the police and football authorities and supported by the club in order to make sure no-one is arrested for simply singing a song at a football match.

Without this, there seems to me to be a gray legal area.

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Again for the thousandth time mate the club will never back a song that contains up to our knees in (insert any name and blood)

It's just not gonae happen.

It would need to be a happy clappy version for the club to back it

I don't think they will ' OK ' it either.

But if the words are changed to what the OP is suggesting ie ' we're up to the knees in Celtic blood ' then it would be reasonable to expect them to defend the fact that it only seems to be only us that are vilified for it ,particularly , as the OP says , it's sang in that form by fans of various other teams and nothing is ever said.

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Very clever D'art, but you're also playing agent provocateur here and whilst it sounds like fun I suspect the repercussion if we sang it would be more negative press, and potentially put other variations of TBB, including the Ayr and Dundee versions under more scrutiny, with the potential of those clubs disassociating from it as well. I think we really do need to box clever here as it is not about freedom of speech or tradition, or even legality as far as those who would wish to suppress it are concerned. We live in times when integrity and fairplay are foreign words to our haters in the "new" establishment, even to the point of ignoring, or interpreting to their own benefit the legal niceties.

So whether we should take that risk is of course up to the individual. From a personal selfish view, I see no need for the club to comment or endorse new versions of TBB, as some posters have suggested, as either way the club would be damned. All the club should do if the time comes , and especially if held to account, is act in its best interest.

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we live in a country where people hear four lads and two seconds later they're on twatter bleating it's the famine song,it's ingrained In the mope culture to whine about anything,if they can't spot the different lyrics there then they'll never spot one word changed,sad but true.

On the plus side,come next season,they'll know we're back,they'll know us by our fucking noise,time to turn Ibrox back into the cauldron of old,still hear that sound of all stands belting songs out on occasion,we all expect our lads to give all for 90 minutes,time we did the same

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Very clever D'art, but you're also playing agent provocateur here and whilst it sounds like fun I suspect the repercussion if we sang it would be more negative press, and potentially put other variations of TBB, including the Ayr and Dundee versions under more scrutiny, with the potential of those clubs disassociating from it as well. I think we really do need to box clever here as it is not about freedom of speech or tradition, or even legality as far as those who would wish to suppress it are concerned. We live in times when integrity and fairplay are foreign words to our haters in the "new" establishment, even to the point of ignoring, or interpreting to their own benefit the legal niceties.

So whether we should take that risk is of course up to the individual. From a personal selfish view, I see no need for the club to comment or endorse new versions of TBB, as some posters have suggested, as either way the club would be damned. All the club should do if the time comes , and especially if held to account, is act in its best interest.

You clearly havent been listening to the message T. Ive been unequivocal and will continue to be so.

https://immortalrangers.wordpress.com/2016/01/02/the-billy-boys-reprise/

http://www.gersnetonline.co.uk/vb/showthread.php?74867-The-Billy-Boys-%28Reprise%29

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