Is there not one among you ?

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

There is a popular saying that time is a great healer?.however I can honestly say that should I live to be a thousand years old?.the rage inside of me at our club?s treatment at the hands of certain sections of the media would not subside.

I remember a scene from the from the film First Knight?the remake of the Arthurian Legend with Sean Connery and Richard Gere?.where the Queen stands accused of adultery and a champion is requested to defend her honour and integrity. With Lancelot absent due to other commitments there is an absence of volunteers willing to step forward in her defence. This prompts the magistrate to ask the assembled knights?

?Is there not one champion among you..is there no-one who will defend her honour??

Now chairman David Murray has advised Bears?if an article or particular writer offends or angers you?then refrain from buying that publication. The strategy here seems to be a belief that if we ignore them?.they will go away. I would like to challenge the wisdom of such a strategy and also point out that there is an inconsistency of message coming from within Ibrox when it comes to dealing with damaging statements.

Looking back through the stewardship of David Murray there have been a catalogue of lies and damaging articles written about our club?.I think it would be fair to say that no other club in Scotland has been vilified so much by the press in recent times?.culminating last week in Jackson?s articles, which were not only at odds with the facts?but also at odds with other media reports regarding the cancellation.

So if these frequent attacks have not ceased?have not gone away?.my question to you would be?? Has this strategy of ignoring them worked ??

The other thing I would ask you to do is?for a brief moment to set aside your righteous indignation at these articles?..and objectively review what damage is being caused to our club by allowing such articles to continue unchallenged.

Some of them are obvious?the damage and tarnishing of our club?s image.

I shall never forget Colin Glass? opening remarks at the inaugural meeting of the RST when he recited a story of a mother refusing to buy her son a Rangers top because she believed we were a racist club. Can anyone else see the hand of? ?Thousands of Rangers fans making monkey noises at Bobo Balde? (or similar articles) in this woman?s erroneous image of Rangers Football Club ?

And let us never forget as irate Bears challenged the author of those words the ?thousands? became ?hundreds? and as the challenges continued eventually they became ?a handful? It appears to me that on this occasion taking direct action instead of ignoring such comments provided a measure of success.

I would ask you to remember that the above article is only one of many which have appeared in our media?.if people are hearing the same message time and time again?in what is supposed to be reliable media sources?how long before they accept them as truth and fact ?

Moving away from the obvious damage caused to our club?s image I now enter the world of speculation. I just wonder how much of the UEFA?s prosecutors appeal against the Not Guilty verdict in respect of our club?s bigotry charges, was encouraged by the media response in our country to our ?acquittal? Or how much he was encouraged in his quest by the assumption in this country?s media, prior to the initial verdict, that we as a club were guilty.?

I watched a no. of programmes during the UEFA investigation. These featured the ?usual suspects? who openly expressed the certainty of our club?s guilt?.the only speculation appeared to be the severity of the impending sentence. This in a country where expressing opinion about a ongoing trial is strictly forbidden as it may prejudice the outcome. Lets not forget what happened in the Lee Bowyer/Jonathon Woodgate trial and the reasons for its abandonment.

Did I maybe miss a statement from inside Ibrox that such assumptions and comments on national tv and in national publications were likely to prevent Rangers receiving a fair hearing ?

And speaking of inside Ibrox?.are they practising what they preach ? Martin Bain is currently pursuing a libel case against a French football agent who made claims that Bain acted improperly during the Boumsong negotiations. Martin Bain believes that such claims may have a damaging effect on his reputation and personal integrity. And you know what?he is right.

Which begs the question that if our hierarchy can see the potential damage caused by lies and inaccurate comments on a personal level?.and are willing to take action to redress the situation?..why oh why are they not willing to take the same course of action when the reputation of our football club is at stake. ?

Let us return for a brief moment to Arthurian legend.

At Arthur?s round table sat many knights?committed to each other and to the protection of Camelot. Each knight had to lay aside self interest for the good of Camelot. The death or the falling from grace of one of these knights meant an empty place setting at the round table until a knight of suitable character could be found to fill that place.

If we substitute the round table of Camelot for the round table of Rangers Football Club?..

It appears to me we have a lot of empty place settings.

RANGERS FOREVER

[davie_bluenose 20]

This is the reason EUFA caught involved with Ranger Football Club regarding sectarianism.

Whenh we played at the San Siro when the fand were banned, there were many poeple from "the board or there abouts with there suits" on singing the Billy Boys.

It wasnt the fans, but poeple above as i have said. If anyone has an argument about it then id love to hear why.

If they are saying sectarianism should be band, guys like Jimmy Bell should be the first to go. After all, he was they same guy who refused to wash Mo Johnstones top at Ibrox.

[minstral 5,375]

i keep getting shot down when i say anything bad about murray or the rangers board, and when i go on about our enemies in the media, i am told they are only doing a job. but people wont believe me when i tell them that certain reporters will not be happy until glasgow rangers are gone.

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

i keep getting shot down when i say anything bad about murray or the rangers board, and when i go on about our enemies in the media, i am told they are only doing a job. but people wont believe me when i tell them that certain reporters will not be happy until glasgow rangers are gone.

Minstral....

As per normal you are spot on with that observation.

[davie_bluenose 20]

Why does it actually bother you'se?

As long as we are winning games, which at the moment were not, the who cares. Too many fans listen to this drivel, and start beleiving it.

Its disapoints me

[Ibroxblue 122]

The media is full of rubbish about all sorts of pepole and organisations. Let's try to leave paranoia to the other lot.

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

Why does it bother me ? Because as you point out....too many fans listen to it and believe it...

And not only fans...

"I shall never forget Colin Glass? opening remarks at the inaugural meeting of the RST when he recited a story of a mother refusing to buy her son a Rangers top because she believed we were a racist club. Can anyone else see the hand of? ?Thousands of Rangers fans making monkey noises at Bobo Balde? (or similar articles) in this woman?s erroneous image of Rangers Football Club ?"

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

The media is full of rubbish about all sorts of pepole and organisations. Let's try to leave paranoia to the other lot.

Tell me why its is paranoia ?

[minstral 5,375]

Why does it actually bother you'se?

As long as we are winning games, which at the moment were not, the who cares. Too many fans listen to this drivel, and start beleiving it.

Its disapoints me

because people who buy the newspapers and listen to the media,who are not rangers fans start to believe all the crap and view us all as bigots or racist. and if you dont fight back they will just keep printing lie after lie.

[davie_bluenose 20]

"Why does it bother me ? Because as you point out....too many fans listen to it and believe it...

And not only fans...

"I shall never forget Colin Glass? opening remarks at the inaugural meeting of the RST when he recited a story of a mother refusing to buy her son a Rangers top because she believed we were a racist club. Can anyone else see the hand of? ?Thousands of Rangers fans making monkey noises at Bobo Balde? (or similar articles) in this woman?s erroneous image of Rangers Football Club ?"

Surely you big enough to brush that to one side mate.

[minstral 5,375]

"Why does it bother me ? Because as you point out....too many fans listen to it and believe it...

And not only fans...

"I shall never forget Colin Glass? opening remarks at the inaugural meeting of the RST when he recited a story of a mother refusing to buy her son a Rangers top because she believed we were a racist club. Can anyone else see the hand of? ?Thousands of Rangers fans making monkey noises at Bobo Balde? (or similar articles) in this woman?s erroneous image of Rangers Football Club ?"

Surely you big enough to brush that to one side mate.

there is no bristles left on my brush with all the sweeping it has done.

[davie_bluenose 20]

There is a reason why the media say these things:

To piss gers fans off.

Thats why it doesnt even bother me. Focus on Rangers, not the some of the shite some papers write.

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

"Why does it bother me ? Because as you point out....too many fans listen to it and believe it...

And not only fans...

"I shall never forget Colin Glass? opening remarks at the inaugural meeting of the RST when he recited a story of a mother refusing to buy her son a Rangers top because she believed we were a racist club. Can anyone else see the hand of? ?Thousands of Rangers fans making monkey noises at Bobo Balde? (or similar articles) in this woman?s erroneous image of Rangers Football Club ?"

Surely you big enough to brush that to one side mate.

Davie,

If you think it is big to ignore the mocking of the Ibrox Disaster victims (Ron McKay)

If you think its big to ignore lies about the motivation behind the founders of our club (Ian Archer)

If you think it is big to ignore lies about Rangers fans making racist chants (Spiers)

If you think it is big to ignore Rangers fans being compared to Nazis whilst flying the very flags which delivered Europe & the world from this evil (McNee & Spiers)

Then you and I have a different interpretation of the word big

[viennabear 2]

what do you expect lads?? .. just to give you an example ... there is a gers supporters club in vienna (all austrians) that used to sometimes come down to my local to watch the matches - they hang up an england flag with a redhand on it , turn their backs to the t.v. get drunk and shout fuck the pope , fenian bastards etc every five minutes or so! what kind of a reputation do you think arseholes like that give our club in foreign countries??? i got so sick of the them that i now watch all the matches with tic supporters - no mindless insults just good old fashioned banter!!! same goes for the racism part ... because of our past links to the ICF and inturn their links to the BNP we will always , if we like it or not , in some quarters be defined as a racist club - and to be honest i have myself experienced it outside ibrox from our own supporters but i must add there has never been a shortage of supporters who have shut the racists up but it does happen and when these guy?s are on their way home from a match they behave in the same manner but there are no decent gers supporters around at the time to shut them up so the person faced with it goes away with the opinion that all gers supporters are racists!!

[davie_bluenose 20]

D'Artagnan

I havent read any of these articles.

But if you can produce a copy of them for me, i will read them, im open minded mate.

[Frankie 505]

Anyone who doesn't think there is an agenda against Rangers in certain sections of the media is wrong IMO.

I don't think it's as bad as some would make out but it certainly exists.

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

what do you expect lads?? .. just to give you an example ... there is a gers supporters club in vienna (all austrians) that used to sometimes come down to my local to watch the matches - they hang up an england flag with a redhand on it , turn their backs to the t.v. get drunk and shout fuck the pope , fenian bastards etc every five minutes or so! what kind of a reputation do you think arseholes like that give our club in foreign countries??? i got so sick of the them that i now watch all the matches with tic supporters - no mindless insults just good old fashioned banter!!! same goes for the racism part ... because of our past links to the ICF and inturn their links to the BNP we will always , if we like it or not , in some quarters be defined as a racist club - and to be honest i have myself experienced it outside ibrox from our own supporters but i must add there has never been a shortage of supporters who have shut the racists up but it does happen and when these guy?s are on their way home from a match they behave in the same manner but there are no decent gers supporters around at the time to shut them up so the person faced with it goes away with the opinion that all gers supporters are racists!!

And how does the Boys of the Old Brigade go down ? Or is that just part of "the banter"

[viennabear 2]

what do you expect lads?? .. just to give you an example ... there is a gers supporters club in vienna (all austrians) that used to sometimes come down to my local to watch the matches - they hang up an england flag with a redhand on it , turn their backs to the t.v. get drunk and shout fuck the pope , fenian bastards etc every five minutes or so! what kind of a reputation do you think arseholes like that give our club in foreign countries??? i got so sick of the them that i now watch all the matches with tic supporters - no mindless insults just good old fashioned banter!!! same goes for the racism part ... because of our past links to the ICF and inturn their links to the BNP we will always , if we like it or not , in some quarters be defined as a racist club - and to be honest i have myself experienced it outside ibrox from our own supporters but i must add there has never been a shortage of  supporters who have shut the racists up but it does happen and when these guy?s are on their way home from a match they behave in the same manner but there are no decent gers supporters around at the time to shut them up so the person faced with it goes away with the opinion that all gers supporters are racists!!

And how does the Boys of the Old Brigade go down ? Or is that just part of "the banter"

boys of the old brigade is as far as i know a song refering to the irish uprising - about remembering old friends who have fallen - in a way identical to flower of scotland!! there is no animosity towards anyone just remembering the past!! fuck the pope , fenian bastards etc is quite different!! how does it go down?? a treat in the bars in vienna ... drunken irish lads having a laugh and singing an irish song .... very different to drunken twats shouting fuck the pope imo!!!

you can?t sit here and claim that we are victims when we are guilty ourselves of similar and at times worse acts ... i gave you examples of how our support at times behaves and your reaction is to try and deflect attention to the problem?s of another club!!! we have to get our own house in order first! then we can start pointing fingers at others!!!

[Ibroxblue 122]

The media is full of rubbish about all sorts of pepole and organisations. Let's try to leave paranoia to the other lot.

Tell me why its is paranoia ?

Ask around Celtic fans and you'll find plenty who say the media's biased against them (and they'll produce the carefully-selected articles and quotes to back up their claims).

Ask around fans of other clubs and you'll find plenty who say the media is biased in favour of the Old Firm....

[bauba30 1]

Viennabear - Im with you on this one

I used to live in Detroit and missing my fix I would go to the RSC Club there. Every week, the TV would come on and we would get the same pish from the members, all the FTP nonsense. I put up with it initially, then the final straw was when I took my American wife to watch the Orange Cup Final vs Aberdeen.

Was thinking it being a cup final the occasion would be a little more joyous - but no, first minute to the last fenian this, and fenian that, despite the fact that it was Aberdeen we were playing, even racist comments directed at our own players, "Albertz - ya square heeded bassa - GVB etc etc - seriously - grown men behaving like juvenile delinquint neds - a disgrace to humanity never mind our club

By the end of the match my wife was in shock at the behaviour and I have never been back, and never will do again. I'd rather pay 10 bucks a week to listen to Archie McPherson than all that.

As for the so called agenda. IMO there is no Agenda in the media. Though both Celtic fans and Rangers fans beieve there to be against their team.

Sure, there are articles that dont print the truth, you will find that in any field of reporting - but just jumping up in down in fury just adds credence to anyone who think we are a sectarian club.

Quite frankly, we are not a sectarian club anymore but in my experience we do have a whole bunch of sectarian fans. Seems to me that the club knows that all too well and are beginning to try to do something about it. At last

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

Vienna I am well aware of the problems within our own support...

Though the racist undertones you seem to suggest is not something I have seen or heard at Ibrox...

However I am glad to hear you are comfortable with songs such as the boys of the old brigade....

As for your assertion I was pointing the finger at others....actually I wasn't.... perhaps you should ask some of you tim friends what Lawell (the celtic chief exec) said recently about their singing...but then again...how does it go...? its just" drunken irish lads having a laugh and sining an irish song"

So its not defelection....just a desire that we see some balance in reporting

[viennabear 2]

sad thing is bauba that most of them don?t even know the meaning of what they are shouting!! fair enough we have all done and said silly things in our past as youngsters but you?d think grown men would know better ... even more disturbing is that many of them actually have their kids with them who as a result grow up with the same mentality ... only way for it to change is for the decent supporters back home to make a stand against the racists and biggots at ibrox and the club to take action against supporters clubs abroad like the ones you and me have experienced!!! imo it was no coincedence that the uefa obsercer that screwed us last year was an austrian ... i wouldn?t be surprised if he had actually seen our vienna branch in action and made a point of taking the matter that far - as far as i know it was the first time that a uefa delegate had appealed a uefa decision!!!

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

sad thing is bauba that most of them don?t even know the meaning of what they are shouting!! fair enough we have all done and said silly things in our past as youngsters but you?d think grown men would know better ... even more disturbing is that many of them actually have their kids with them who as a result grow up with the same mentality ... only way for it to change is for the decent supporters back home to make a stand against the racists and biggots at ibrox and the club to take action against supporters clubs abroad like the ones you and me have experienced!!! imo it was no coincedence that the uefa obsercer that screwed us last year was an austrian ... i wouldn?t be surprised if he had actually seen our vienna branch in action and made a point of taking the matter that far - as far as i know it was the first time that a uefa delegate had appealed a uefa decision!!!

Actually it wasnt the first time that such an appeal had been lodged....but feel free to take the credit for our club being prosecuted....whilst the racist chants involving the "big boy" members of UEFA were ignored.

You must be so proud.

[viennabear 2]

Vienna I am well aware of the problems within our own support...

Though the racist undertones you seem to suggest is not something I have seen or heard at Ibrox...

However I am glad to hear you are comfortable with songs such as the boys of the old brigade....

As for your assertion I was pointing the finger at others....actually I wasn't.... perhaps you should ask some of you tim friends what Lawell (the celtic chief exec) said recently about their singing...but then again...how does it go...? its just" drunken irish lads having a laugh and sining an irish song"

So its not defelection....just a desire that we see some balance in reporting

paint yourself black or brown and go to ibrox on matchday and you will see and hear enough - think it was last season at ibrox some mug from the bnp was selling the bnp magazine outside ibrox and doing great business ... don?t get me wrong .. there were plenty who thought it was out of order but the fact remains it is an event that took place and further tarnished the reputation of our club!!

as far as the singing goes ... what reason do i have to feel uncomfortable when i can stand there on my own and sing follow follow , blue bells are blue , everyother saturday etc back at them without them getting uncomfortable with it or in any way aggresive towards me as at the end of the day i am in their pub (did i mention that this is in an irish pub) supporting their rivals!!

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

Vienna I am well aware of the problems within our own support...

Though the racist undertones you seem to suggest is not something I have seen or heard at Ibrox...

However I am glad to hear you are comfortable with songs such as the boys of the old brigade....

As for your assertion I was pointing the finger at others....actually I wasn't.... perhaps you should ask some of you tim friends what Lawell (the celtic chief exec)  said recently about their singing...but then again...how does it go...? its just" drunken irish lads having a laugh and sining an irish song"

So its not defelection....just a desire that we see some balance in reporting

paint yourself black or brown and go to ibrox on matchday and you will see and hear enough - think it was last season at ibrox some mug from the bnp was selling the bnp magazine outside ibrox and doing great business ... don?t get me wrong .. there were plenty who thought it was out of order but the fact remains it is an event that took place and further tarnished the reputation of our club!!

as far as the singing goes ... what reason do i have to feel uncomfortable when i can stand there on my own and sing follow follow , blue bells are blue , everyother saturday etc back at them without them getting uncomfortable with it or in any way aggresive towards me as at the end of the day i am in their pub (did i mention that this is in an irish pub) supporting their rivals!!

So they sang their "political songs" ...which of course is just a few drunked irish lads...having a laugh..singing an irish song... Just part of "the craic" I suppose..

Did you seek approval from the management for those Rangers songs ?