Groundhog Day - Rangers And Bbc Scotland

[Virtuoso 27,180]

Groundhog Day - Rangers And BBC Scotland

Most of us will be familiar with the comedy film Groundhog Day, where funny man Bill Murray’s character relives the same day over and over again in some backwater town by the name of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. We recall poor Bill as he was losing the will to live each morning as the radio came on to Sonny and Cher droning on ad infinitum.

Unfortunately, Rangers fans have our own perpetual cycle of irritancy to endure - that each season various characters impersonating journalists at BBC Scotland repeatedly single out our club and fans for special treatment. The upshot being of course is the public perception that Rangers is the root of all evil. By foraging tenaciously for any nugget of negativity concerning the club, no matter how small, and consistently overlooking the sins of others, no matter how glaring, it is a self fulfilling prophesy these partisans seem desperate to engineer.

With the new season in its insipient stages, it is already more of the same. Rangers fans don’t need a rodent to forecast the journalistic weather.

Rangers first game last week saw an emphatic 6-2 drubbing of nearest rivals Hibs at Easter Road. Following an action packed game with good football and some very good goals, it was a gift for reporters to talk the game up, as they are extremely eager to do at every opportunity when anyone else is playing - but this was Rangers! As predictable as it was lamentable, the BBC’s Chris McLaughlin managed to inveigle out of the match delegate ‘news’ that a couple of fans had been arrested for alleged sectarian singing. (It’s worth pointing out this is the same media outlet who never mentioned a thing on its main news on the Monday – when it came to light - after a ten-year-old Rangers fan was struck in the face with a bottle in a sickening sectarian attack at the last old firm game in February. Compare and contrast.)

Getting back, readers should be assured; this is not the norm when reporters interview the match delegate. It is a precedent that will not be followed up any time soon at games featuring other clubs. It was mischieve-making pure and simple by a journalist who has undermined the club at every turn these last few years.

In tandem with this latest debacle, was BBC Scotland pundit Graham Speirs perpetuating his usual inverse sense of fair play when commenting on all matters Rangers. When boyhood Gers fan and signing target Scott Allan asked for a transfer to the club, the poor lad was subjected to all manner of despicable abuse – to the point sectarian death threats were made and which Police Scotland are currently investigating. Preposterously, Mr Speirs used this story to launch yet another attack on Rangers fans - as only his warped mind can. (It’s a wonder he never managed to drag Rangers into the Gulf Stream changing course when fumbling about on his laptop at a drookit St Andrews recently..)

Having made a career out of this nonsense, the Rangers board have finally had enough of his rancid warbling. Along with McLaughlin, their press passes have been withdrawn forthwith.

Although not a course of action we like to see normally, previous regimes acted out of self interest rather than the club, it’s been a long time coming for these 2 purveyors of blatant and reprehensible anti Rangers hostility. Enough is enough! When IRA loving blogger Phil “tarred with the sectarian brush” MacGiolla Bhain is backing these muppets, you know the club is doing something right.

Hilariously, the reaction to the ban at Pacific Quay only serves to vindicate the board. BBC Scotland will now not send ANY reporters to Ibrox. There were no grandiose statements of intent when Jim Spence was barred at Dens Park. This publicly funded body do treat Rangers differently, and there are a plethora of examples to choose from. In fact, the club should dip into this mountain of evidence, a small portion of which I referred to in a previous article - http://www.vanguardbears.co.uk/article.php?i=49&a=rangers,-the-media-and-chris-graham to support their justified decision.

In true groundhog fashion, it’s only fitting we return to Pennsylvania. The US state is actually named after a William Penn, an entrepreneur who is credited with the development of the grid system in the state’s biggest city – Philadelphia. Ironically, it turns out grid systems are not the only similarities between Glasgow and Pennsylvania...

Our very own groundhog day will no doubt continue, but at long last we have a Rangers board who have demonstrated they have the minerals to act, and act at the appropriate time. That time is indeed – now.

Long may it continue!

http://www.vanguardbears.co.uk/article.php?i=66&a=groundhog-day---rangers-and-bbc-scotland#

[AlCapone 7,678]

The Vanguard Bears are everything a Rangers supporters group should be, you just cant fault them

[Carsons Army 4,146]

If the current Rangers board are looking for any more enemies of Rangers then they should delve into the VB articles dating back to 2008.

Interesting that the hate filled rodent Jim Spence has decided to give an exclusive interview with his fellow Rangers hater Mad Phil De Gobblegiver. The Scotsman abroad.

[Leeds_Bear 8,158]

Well said VB. I'm wondering how long it will take for either of these two to write about Rangers again, you can be sure it won't be long until they get their next fix. Deplorable journalists and individuals.

[mrmojorisin 13,670]

Cap doffed to the VB's

[cushynumber 25,178]

"..tarred with the sickening sectarian brush...."

[sammy cox 664]

Well done the VB and the board for getting rid of these rats.

[Allanger 625]

A good article.Well done vb

[sprotson11 147]

Good article, but I have to point out 1 inaccuracy

When Jim Spence was banned from Dens Park, the BBC also refused to send any other employees to cover games there. Not sure if the decision was made out of principal, or not bugger would go, but they did treat them the same way as they are doing Rangers,

[Captain Hilts 12,819]

well said VB's

[Bluefarm 1,055]

Just a pity more Bears never helped the VB's when they were demonstrating outside BBC. We should be outside their doors again.

[Orange&Blue 130]

Excellent article once again from VB's

[Stoorie 1,088]

Excellent article again from VB, but one thing concerns me.

Although it's all good and well fighting off these biased journalists, I want to see us all, not just the VB, take an aggressive stance to these haters and go after them with the venom they have shown us.

We need to be on the front foot with regards to their past discretions and get the info out on all of them. Every piece of derogatory comment they have produced needs a place in all forums that can be easily accessible by all Rangers fans.

'Nemo Me Impune Lacessit' ('No One Attacks Me With Impunity')

[Carsons Army 4,146]

Excellent article again from VB, but one thing concerns me.

Although it's all good and well fighting off these biased journalists, I want to see us all, not just the VB, take an aggressive stance to these haters and go after them with the venom they have shown us.

We need to be on the front foot with regards to their past discretions and get the info out on all of them. Every piece of derogatory comment they have produced needs a place in all forums that can be easily accessible by all Rangers fans.

'Nemo Me Impune Lacessit' ('No One Attacks Me With Impunity')

Brilliant post Keeps01,

The RST and others refused to back the VB protests against BBC Scotland in 2008.

Hopefully they realise that they were wrong back then and their recent statements back that up.

We are such an easy target when we are a divided support, a united Rangers support is a whole new ball game.

[Trooblue 1,983]

OK, so we now have Tom English apparently refusing to answer questions on air and on Twitter about the clear inconsistency in his reaction to a BBC 'colleague' being banned by one club (Spence by Dundee FC) and another colleague being banned by Rangers (McLaughlin), beyond saying that the cases were 'different'. We also have evidence of improper collusion between the SPFL match delegate at the Hibs game and Chris McLaughllin, with the latter having clearly lied about his practice of questioning every match delegate about fan trouble (he doesn't - only asks questions when the delegate is a guy with Celtic connections and is reporting on trouble at a Rangers game). These are very serious matters. The question is - what happens now, and what is the club going to do next? Banning McLaughlin only touches the surface here, we need to push for further actions against English, the SPFL match delegate, and McLaughlin. Even if no action is taken by their employers, we need to hang them out to dry in public.

[The_Corinthian 74]

Good article, but I have to point out 1 inaccuracy

When Jim Spence was banned from Dens Park, the BBC also refused to send any other employees to cover games there. Not sure if the decision was made out of principal, or not bugger would go, but they did treat them the same way as they are doing Rangers,

Is this what happened, aye?

[B1872 21,111]

Good article, but I have to point out 1 inaccuracy

When Jim Spence was banned from Dens Park, the BBC also refused to send any other employees to cover games there. Not sure if the decision was made out of principal, or not bugger would go, but they did treat them the same way as they are doing Rangers,

Nae bother Jim FS!