The Rangers Observer - Club 1872 Right on Lennon

[Guest Lloyd72]

Club 1872 right on Lennon

August 15, 2017

By Tom Macintyre | Guest Contributor

This is apparently a controversial opinion in some corners of the echo chamber that is Twitter but Club 1872 were absolutely correct to raise the behaviour of Neil Lennon at Ibrox on Saturday. The reaction of much of the Scottish press pack to the incident has completely vindicated the statement put out on Sunday despite the misgivings of some Rangers fans.

It might be helpful to establish a few facts first because, social media being what it is, some important points have been lost in the hysteria.

Club 1872 didn’t report Lennon to the police. That had already happened within an hour of the end of the game when police had taken statements from a significant number of Rangers supporters in the Enclosure and Main Stand at Ibrox.

Lennon wasn’t celebrating a goal. That’s something you do with your players, staff and your own fans. If your first thought when your team scores a goal is to turn and gesture to the opposing fans then it’s not about the goal. Had a Hibs player done exactly what Lennon did then the chances are they would have been sent off - although not perhaps if the referee was John Beaton.

The game was classified by the police as high risk due to previous issues, particularly the cup final. Lennon would have been spoken to by the police before the game. His club would also have been asked to warn their players and staff to behave responsibly. Now you can cry and moan about what on earth has football come to that this had to happen but those are the facts. It was a certainty the police would get involved after the game given their advice and concerns prior to it.

Predictably, the reaction from Hibs and Celtic supporters to Lennon being publicly called out has not been good. You can sense the horror that someone has actually had the gall to point out that Lennon spends most of his professional life acting like an idiot. Not just at Hibs, but at every club he's managed including Bolton. Guess who else didn’t like it being raised? Graham Spiers, Tom English, Barry Glendinning and Angela Haggerty. Are we seeing a pattern?

It has been the reaction of some Rangers supporters that has been puzzling and arguably incredibly naive. It is a very noble position to take - that we should all just man up and hurl abuse at each other at the football and then go about our business. Wouldn’t that be great? Sadly it totally ignores the environment in which Rangers and Rangers fans find themselves. By now, after all the concocted stories, outright lies and twisted facts you would think people would realise that.

There seems to be a school of thought that somehow Club 1872 prompted the media to defend Lennon. Or that mentioning Lennon has somehow taken away from the horrendous performance of John Beaton. Neither of these theories stands up to any scrutiny.

The Beaton issue will take care of itself. Rangers will appeal the red card and should certainly be informing the SFA of their displeasure with his inexplicably bad display. The press were never, ever going to criticise him to the same level that they have when the refereeing mistakes have been against Celtic - simply because Rangers were never going to make a public issue out of it the way Celtic have. You can argue back and forward whether that is the right approach but it’s a fact.

As far as Lennon is concerned, by Sunday morning and prior to any Club 1872 statement, Lennon was already being painted as the victim of his own actions. Derek McGregor, Mark Warburton’s favourite chew toy at the Scottish Sun, had written a back page defending Lennon’s actions and claiming that objects were thrown at him. He’d effectively accused the Rangers backroom staff of being funny foreigners who just didn’t understand Lenny’s wonderful banter with the crowd. Neil Cameron of the Herald had tweeted some justification of Lennon’s inflammatory gestures. Lennon himself had raised and justified his actions in the press conference after the game. 

Lennon, his club and his press cheerleaders knew he was in trouble. His actions were clearly inflammatory. They were always going to attract police and SPFL attention. So the deflection had begun.

From a Rangers point of view, Pedro Caixinha was the first to mention Lennon’s behaviour. There were further press reports that Rangers staff had spoken to the police about Lennon, although it appeared more that the police had been prompted to move towards the dugout by Lennon’s idiotic behaviour.

All of this happened prior to Club 1872 saying anything. And here we get to where they possibly did make a mistake. They were ahead of most people in realising precisely how this would pan out. The police complaints and Rangers’ staff reaction to Lennon guaranteed the press would cover the story. With that also came the certainty that most of them would rush to Lennon’s defence.

Club 1872 could probably have waited until Tuesday or Wednesday when the inevitable opinion pieces would have been out, defending ‘Lenny’ and blaming the terrible persecution he has to suffer. By that time the same Rangers accounts now criticising them on Twitter would have been screaming for someone to intervene at the injustice of it all.

Instead they quickly made the point, correctly, that Lennon’s behaviour was inflammatory and in the context of everything that had gone before, irresponsible. It wasn’t about being offended - Club 1872 never mentioned being offended - although clearly the fans who reported Lennon to the police were.

And to those who say we should just shrug at Lennon’s behaviour? Why should someone’s daughter, or wife, or child be subjected to some ginger idiot firing ‘get it up ye’ gestures into their faces from yards away. Particularly someone who has previous for acting like a ned and being censured for it. And what if someone in the crowd had reacted? It’s not like they haven’t before. Do you think there would have been any mitigation from the press that Lennon should not have been acting how he did?

In certain quarters, although by no means all, the statement has been met with a slightly hipster, ‘against modern football', stiff upper lip reaction. Well guess what, this is modern football in Scotland whether we like it or not and as soon as Lennon made that gesture this chain of events was guaranteed.

Club 1872 have to operate in that environment whether we like it or not. They at least stopped it being a completely one sided love-in about poor, helpless Neil Lennon versus the big bad Rangers support. They should be commended for stepping up to the mark and at least putting across a view that nobody was ever going to see in the Scottish press otherwise. And if you still don’t get that then where have you been the last six years? 

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[cushynumber 25,178]

4 minutes ago, OhW said:

How can they call Twitter an echo chamber? It's the opposite, it's almost guaranteed that someone will disagree with you no matter what you say.

no it isnt

[cushynumber 25,178]

ultimately, what this is saying is that in the surreal world of modern Scottish football, we have to play the game the way the taigs have played it for years

[Bears r us 30,791]

Reasonable arguments, but I still think Beaton should have been the main person they wrote about with TLB being mentioned at the end.

It is all options at the end of the day. 

[CoatbridgeBear 7,113]

It's a fuckin riddy! We pelter him every time we come up against him, he winds us up when they score and cunts are phoning the polis.. embarrassing. If that offends you you're in the wrong sport, next time we beat them he'll be peltered again and nobody will care what he does.

[cushynumber 25,178]

Just now, OhW said:

It won't work though. Catholics outrank Protestants in the oppression league. Even if the exact same circumstances apply they will get preferential treatment.

yes, Im not comfortable trying to play their game with an already loaded deck.

[cushynumber 25,178]

6 minutes ago, CoatbridgeBear said:

It's a fuckin riddy! We pelter him every time we come up against him, he winds us up when they score and cunts are phoning the polis.. embarrassing. If that offends you you're in the wrong sport, next time we beat them he'll be peltered again and nobody will care what he does.

not being smart mate - but yours is exactly the reaction that this article is saying is oudated

[Falcoholic 1,348]

The more I think about that the more I tend to agree with it.

There was no way that any mhedia outlet was ever gonna criticise TLB for his actions, it was always going to be about someone might have heard someone in the Rangers Support calling him a DFB, a hivs fan heard the Billy Boys and Pedro's jacket is on a shakey peg. We've seen it time and time again, week after week. Same shite from the usual sellick appeasing suspects.

When I first saw the 1872 statement I was "aye whatever" but now I'm beginning to think they played it just right. Because if the boot had been on the other shoe and it had been our manager that had behaved in such an unprofessional and ungentlemanly manner you can guarantee the press would have been all over it.

Good post.

[Gman36 3,455]

Our current media structure has more layers than an onion. 

[minstral 5,375]

7 minutes ago, CoatbridgeBear said:

It's a fuckin riddy! We pelter him every time we come up against him, he winds us up when they score and cunts are phoning the polis.. embarrassing. If that offends you you're in the wrong sport, next time we beat them he'll be peltered again and nobody will care what he does.

No he gets abuse because he is a bigot who spat on a Rangers scarf, and called our players and fans dirty Orange blastards.

[cushynumber 25,178]

1 minute ago, Falcoholic said:

The more I think about that the more I tend to agree with it.

There was no way that any mhedia outlet was ever gonna criticise TLB for his actions, it was always going to be about someone might have heard someone in the Rangers Support calling him a DFB, a hivs fan heard the Billy Boys and Pedro's jacket is on a shakey peg. We've seen it time and time again, week after week. Same shite from the usual sellick appeasing suspects.

When I first saw the 1872 statement I was "aye whatever" but now I'm beginning to think they played it just right. Because if the boot had been on the other shoe and it had been our manager that had behaved in such an unprofessional and ungentlemanly manner you can guarantee the press would have been all over it.

Good post.

I dont disagree with the original article at all. Lets be honest, if 1872 didn't do anything, then nobody will.

[eskbankloyal 19,446]

18 minutes ago, CoatbridgeBear said:

It's a fuckin riddy! We pelter him every time we come up against him, he winds us up when they score and cunts are phoning the polis.. embarrassing. If that offends you you're in the wrong sport, next time we beat them he'll be peltered again and nobody will care what he does.

Tbh I didn't think he got much abuse on Saturday - there was one round of Neil Lennon your a wanker but that's all I really noticed. I do sit in the Govan Rear so maybe missed stuff closer to the dugout.

[Captain Hilts 12,819]

Have to agree with that. The reaction to Club 1872's statement was way over the top. I was just pleased that they at least highlighted Lennon's provocative behaviour as there was no way the media was ever going to do it.

[Laudrup1984 25,100]

 

[plumbGER 24,518]

1 minute ago, Laudrup1984 said:

 

@LaudrupsPatrickBoots what i was talking about.

[surfsup2 1,535]

7 minutes ago, eskbankloyal said:

Tbh I didn't think he got much abuse on Saturday - there was one round of Neil Lennon your a wanker but that's all I really noticed. I do sit in the Govan Rear so maybe missed stuff closer to the dugout.

I'm the same I only heard Lennon your a wanker which I did join in ?

I was to busy watching the game and shouting at the the ref were the so called sports journalists not doing the same ?

[Siam69 26,874]

11 minutes ago, eskbankloyal said:

Tbh I didn't think he got much abuse on Saturday - there was one round of Neil Lennon your a wanker but that's all I really noticed. I do sit in the Govan Rear so maybe missed stuff closer to the dugout.

Which all Managers get, look at the ' Jose Fuck off Mouriniho' song, or the sectarian abuse De Boer got at the taigs while at Ajak.

None respond the way that wee cunt does, because even if it does bother them, they know in the CL or the EPL what the repercussions would be. Unlike what will happen to poor wee Lenny.

[CoatbridgeBear 7,113]

15 minutes ago, eskbankloyal said:

Tbh I didn't think he got much abuse on Saturday - there was one round of Neil Lennon your a wanker but that's all I really noticed. I do sit in the Govan Rear so maybe missed stuff closer to the dugout.

A know that mate but if I played for Albion Rovers against the filth and they were peltering me, if I scored a would get it right up them and rip the arse out it.

[Courtyard Bear 41,357]

48 minutes ago, cushynumber said:

ultimately, what this is saying is that in the surreal world of modern Scottish football, we have to play the game the way the taigs have played it for years

Sad but true. 

 

[thehost 11,061]

lennon is a cunt

the ref was a fucking disgrace

we sit in 6th place

 

all the above are true

 

I know which fact the boards boys wont comment on in club 1872/rangers observer

[Courtyard Bear 41,357]

45 minutes ago, CoatbridgeBear said:

It's a fuckin riddy! We pelter him every time we come up against him, he winds us up when they score and cunts are phoning the polis.. embarrassing. If that offends you you're in the wrong sport, next time we beat them he'll be peltered again and nobody will care what he does.

Again can you tell us person that has said they were offended? 

[cushynumber 25,178]

I agree with the sentiment to this article to an extent. However, as I stated earlier we are playing a game the taigs are good at - and they have the loaded deck.

 

I watch T2 Trainspotting recently, and of the course, the "no more Catholics" scene duly came about. However, it wasn't the scene itself that resonated with me but the Ewan McGregor narrative in the build up to it where he states "These are people who've been abandoned by their political class". Never has a truer word been said about the Rangers support than those lines.

However, it is manifestly not the case for the Celtic support - Irish republicanism and the SNP go hand in glove - they are the backbone of the Independence movement. They have huge political support across the country with numerous SNP MSP's - their heinous GB even stated recently they are a political movement - the OBAFM was brought into being to specifically target us - and is being removed because on the odd occasion it targets them as well. They are now unquestionably the Scottish establishment club because they unquestionably have the backing of the political establishment in Scotland.

What political support do we have? and without that support, how do you play their game?

[wullyRFC 5,230]

Is this a statement about a statement? Anymore than a paragraph and I don't bother reading.

[eskbankloyal 19,446]

4 minutes ago, thehost said:

lennon is a cunt

the ref was a fucking disgrace

we sit in 6th place

 

all the above are true

 

I know which fact the boards boys wont comment on in club 1872/rangers observer

We've played 2 games.

If we are in 6th, in a months time you'd have a point.

[Courtyard Bear 41,357]

13 minutes ago, cushynumber said:

I agree with the sentiment to this article to an extent. However, as I stated earlier we are playing a game the taigs are good at - and they have the loaded deck.

 

I watch T2 Trainspotting recently, and of the course, the "no more Catholics" scene duly came about. However, it wasn't the scene itself that resonated with me but the Ewan McGregor narrative in the build up to it where he states "These are people who've been abandoned by their political class". Never has a truer word been said about the Rangers support than those lines.

However, it is manifestly not the case for the Celtic support - Irish republicanism and the SNP go hand in glove - they are the backbone of the Independence movement. They have huge political support across the country with numerous SNP MSP's - their heinous GB even stated recently they are a political movement - the OBAFM was brought into being to specifically target us - and is being removed because on the odd occasion it targets them as well. They are now unquestionably the Scottish establishment club because they unquestionably have the backing of the political establishment in Scotland.

What political support do we have? and without that support, how do you play their game?

 

With small steps we have to start somewhere. 

My only worry is we have sat on our arses too long, can't/won't organise a joined up concerted effort, and the deck is so stacked against us nothing will ever change. 

If that happens then we truly are fucked.