cr3_bear 14,830 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 How Rangers became Espanyol fans’ second team Twenty Spanish supporters came to Ibrox for the win over Aberdeen and here in the first part of our series that explains the links between Scottish clubs and continental teams, we lift the lid of why they were there. 258SHARES BYGARY ARMSTRONG 09:06, 5 DEC 2016 UPDATED09:14, 5 DEC 2016 Some of the Espanyol Rangers Supporters’ Club members at Ibrox for the game against Aberdeen 258SHARES A crowd of 50,003 packed into Ibrox on Saturday to watch Rangers earn redemption after a midweek horror show at Hearts. Among the thousands of jubilant Light Blues supporters were 20 Espanyol fans who had travelled from their home city of Barcelona to embrace the Glasgow giants as their second team. The founder of the Espanyol Rangers Supporters Club is a Spanish native with a Scottish mother and a Glasgow accent named Andy, who insists there are more similarities between the two clubs than initially meets the eye. He lifts the lid on the origins of the link, explaining Espanyol supporters are mostly loyal to the Spanish union in a city where so many want Catalan independence. Some Espanyol and Rangers fans share a similar political outlook Twenty Spaniards helped make up the 50,000 crowd against Aberdeen Here in the first part of our series of Scottish clubs with links to continental teams, Andy says: "In Barcelona, there are two teams - FC Barcelona and Espanyol. "Barcelona are associated with the political status quo in Catalonia - the desire for independence, whereas Espanyol are directly linked to loyalism in Spain, the preserve of the country’s union. "A vast majority of Espanyol fans are Spanish loyalists and it is uncomfortable to be an Espanyol fan publicly in Catalonia because of the economic and political situation here. "Because of this, the coverage is always on FC Barcelona and Espanyol do not get on the news so much. "As such we do not get much money, and we feel Espanyol are mirrored with Rangers in terms of the economic situation, but also because of the atmosphere, loyalty, passion and the colour blue that both teams share." Andy also believes the relationship between Barca and Celtic helps bring his two favourite teams together. There is an affinity between the fans of Celtic and Barca As Messi and Co arrived in Glasgow last month for a Champions League showdown with the Scottish champions, everyone from the Barcelona president to the traveling fans were greeted warmly by those wearing Hoops. “Celtic are much well more known here because of the bond between them and Barca,” adds Andy. “The mass media talks about Barca and Celtic because of what they share in terms of atmosphere and history. “But Rangers are well known within our crowd. “When I first started to go to Espanyol games I saw Rangers scarves. They are our Scottish family.” The historic tie between the two teams was further strengthened in 2000 when Espanyol legend Raul Tamudo arrived at Ibrox for a medical. Former Rangers target Raul Tamudo reveals Espanyol fans named supporters' club after the doctor that killed his Ibrox move Rangers club doctor Gert Jan Goudswaard advised Dick Advocaat against the move, extending the striker’s stay at the Periquitos (Spanish for ‘Budgies’) by a decade, much to the delight of the Espanyol faithful. “This is a well-known story,” Andy confirms. “He is a legend here but Rangers would have been a brilliant destination for him. “Both clubs also had Vladimir Weiss, a good player, and he also strengthens the bond between our teams.” As Andy and his friends were toasting Rangers much-needed success over Aberdeen in Glasgow, Espanyol achieved a significant result of their own, holding Atletico Madrid to a 0-0 draw in the Spanish capital. Espanyol won a point against Atleti (Photo: David Ramos) But Andy insists he has no regrets in missing his local team’s hard-fought draw against last season’s Champions League finalists: “Espanyol don’t usually get a lot of away points so we’re very happy – it’s an excellent result. “But it was a great experience yesterday watching Rangers. “There were 20 Espanyol season-ticket holders there for our first game and others have already been. “Our Scottish family showed great hospitality towards us and there was a fantastic atmosphere.” Espanyol find themselves in 12th position in La Liga but are on the fringes of a European spot. Lee Hodson helped propel Rangers into second place with No.2 v Aberdeen Meanwhile, the Light Blues have propelled themselves to second position in Scotland’s top flight, albeit trail Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic by eight points, having played three games more. And Andy feels this season has come too soon for Rangers to win the league. “They won’t manage to win the title this year – they still need to develop a bit. Watch our Rangers blogger give his post-match Aberdeen verdict “But they are playing well – they played an excellent game yesterday – and the atmosphere definitely helps. “Hopefully they will be able to go for the title next year." The Espanyol Rangers Supporters Club have booked to go to another Rangers match, travelling to Germany to watch their adopted Scottish side take on Oliver Burke’s RB Leipzig on January 15. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cr3_bear 14,830 Posted December 5, 2016 Author Share Posted December 5, 2016 Article from the Daily rebel , always just assumed that espanyol fans were pro Catalan like their neighbours but fair play to the ones who travelled over Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaffbear 4,096 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Part of the Rangers family no matter where you're from...A nice read . Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcb 1,167 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Watched them versus Athletico Madrid on Saturday night (0-0). Very impressive defensively and limited AM to few clear cut chances. Did Nakamura not play for them a few years ago. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross-Gazza genius 1,907 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Nice to hear but I wonder how many of these 20 supporters that travelled were actually Spanish? I'm guessing it's more than likely that they are British Rangers fans living in Spain now, hardly speaks for the masses. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CraigG 56 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 38 minutes ago, cr3_bear said: Article from the Daily rebel , always just assumed that espanyol fans were pro Catalan like their neighbours but fair play to the ones who travelled over The clue is in the name. The population of Catalonia is not just comprised of Catalans. There are many non-Catalans living there, predominantly Andlausians who migrated there during the Franco period. An Osasuan fan told me a few years ago that Espanyol were the team for the Spanish speakers and the immigrants. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPWF 8,227 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Out with the majority of their fans being pro-union I fail to see the similarities between the clubs. They're fucking nobodies. We're the most successful team in the world. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
centenarystand 2,227 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 36 minutes ago, OhW said: Suspicious of everything in the Record. Is this article actually a sly dig at us and the "Espanyolification" of Rangers? I thought it was a sly dig as well, trying to compare us to Espanyol and the Savilles to Barca. FFS Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rfc_watp 1,503 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Don't have any time for Barca anymore after their boak inducing love in with the tramps across the city. Nice to see Espanyol adopt us as their Scottish team and they share the same political outlook as we do. But I don't like them trying to paint out we have the same similarities with regards to success and stature. We are the biggest team in Scotland and the most successful in the world. They are the 2nd team in their city and have modest achievements in comparison. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Soprano 13,964 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Watched their game on Saturday night. Had Atletico -1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
plumbGER 24,518 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Pure speshul relationship between Barcelona and them eh? Ask Neymar all about it. I did see the Espanyol flag in the Broomloan on Saturday but didn't realise it was Espanyol at first, actually thought it was a Real Madrid flag to support them as they played Barcelona. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Robot 21,147 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 5 minutes ago, Mr Soprano said: Watched their game on Saturday night. Had Atletico -1 ATM messed up my 10-1 accumulator, they done everything but score. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Soprano 13,964 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Just now, Bad Robot said: ATM messed up my 10-1 accumulator, they done everything but score. Boy in goal for Espanyol had the game of his life eh? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Robot 21,147 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 There was about 20 Chinese outside the louden after the game. That was good to see ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Robot 21,147 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Just now, Mr Soprano said: Boy in goal for Espanyol had the game of his life eh? Yes I was gutted lol Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Soprano 13,964 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Speshul relationship wae Barca n at. Imagine being 'that' club who thinks every cunts loves them and wants to emulate them when in reality it's the exact fucking opposite They're like the discarded Prom Queen. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgeIsBlue 66,606 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 I was wondering who those lads were,they were sitting several rows behind me in BR4. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BridgeIsBlue 66,606 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Wait a minute that's not them,these guys were all wearing the same tracksuit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanMac 185 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 See I know quite a few barca fans, after living there for a year, and not one of them like that mob. If anything we are the club they talk about, all to do with destroying Francos lot in the 70's. Don't let our media kid you on otherwise. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bombaybadboy08 15,660 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 50 minutes ago, Bad Robot said: There was about 20 Chinese outside the louden after the game. That was good to see ? Good to see 20 people barred from the Louden because they're Chinese? I have to disagree with that. Let them in I say, shouldn't matter where you're from if you've came to see The Rangers. You've obviously had a bad curry. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bears r us 30,791 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 5 minutes ago, bombaybadboy08 said: Good to see 20 people barred from the Louden because they're Chinese? I have to disagree with that. Let them in I say, shouldn't matter where you're from if you've came to see The Rangers. You've obviously had a bad curry. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carsons Dog 9,878 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 1 hour ago, Bad Robot said: There was about 20 Chinese outside the louden after the game. That was good to see ? Good alternative to pies Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy1984 6,314 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 1 hour ago, Mr Soprano said: Speshul relationship wae Barca n at. Imagine being 'that' club who thinks every cunts loves them and wants to emulate them when in reality it's the exact fucking opposite They're like the discarded Prom Queen. their "please love us" attitude really is the most vomit enducing thing about them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEFTONG 60,088 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Wouldn't wipe the dug shite aff my shoes using the rebel..But glad that when La Liga started on Sky I picked Espanyol as my Spanish team... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Robot 21,147 Posted December 5, 2016 Share Posted December 5, 2016 22 minutes ago, bombaybadboy08 said: Good to see 20 people barred from the Louden because they're Chinese? I have to disagree with that. Let them in I say, shouldn't matter where you're from if you've came to see The Rangers. You've obviously had a bad curry. ?? I'm quite partial to the odd oriental even after a bad curry. Fan Bingbing is her name and I'm sure there are a few jokes in there ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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