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Rangers' New Start Can Prove There Is A Place For Romanticism In Football
Cynics are writing off football as a rich man's game more than ever, but if Rangers can rise from the ashes they'll defeat the colossus of money in a true fairy-tale story...
It’s stating the bleeding obvious to say a fracture runs through football with those who own the clubs, the players commanding huge salaries, their agents and, too often, colluding football authorities, on one side and fans on the other. The former are motivated by money and power while the latter are chasing glory. The moneymen are narcissists, in love with themselves; the fans are Romantics, in love with an idea, obsessed with history and carrying a deep respect for the symbolism of badge and shirt.
However obvious, the truth of this was demonstrated recently when about 80% of Rangers season ticket holders said their team should start again at the bottom of the Third Division following their tax evasion shenanigans. This was in contrast to the clubs owners who were trying to muscle their way into the First Division on the basis, of course, that it would be financially beneficial to all. The fracture was clear for all to see.
The moneymen are narcissists, in love with themselves; the fans are Romantics, in love with an idea, obsessed with history and carrying a deep respect for the symbolism of badge and shirt.
For Rangers’ fans, starting at the bottom is a great story. It could only take them three years to return to the top flight and along the way they will play, and have the chance to beat, every team in Scotland, visit every ground, sample every pie and have a pint in more boozers than any other football fan anywhere and over those pints they will have numerous anecdotes to recount, like the other week at Brechin City when the ball got stuck up a tree.
When they get back to the top, it will be with their heads held high. If they finish by winning the SPL then they will have achieved something no team has before or will afterwards in all likelihood.
It could only take them three years to return to the top flight and along the way they will play, and have the chance to beat, every team in Scotland, visit every ground, sample every pie and have a pint in more boozers than any other football fan anywhere.
Meanwhile, with Rangers unable to compete in the international transfer market, they will have to rely more on homegrown talent and bringing on young players. With less pressure on the other teams to compete with Rangers, they too will get the chance to bring on young talent. They will also get the chance to win more silverware and compete in Europe.
All this could be good for the Scottish national team. Before money entered the game in Scotland the national team was strong enough to qualify for five consecutive world cups, between 1074 and 1990. Starved of opportunity since Scottish Premier League clubs followed Rangers into the international transfer market, young Scottish players haven’t had the chance to develop and the national team’s fortunes have dwindled. John Clarke has written of the detrimental effect of Rangers’ money on Scottish football elsewhere on this site.
Rangers fans will have numerous anecdotes to recount, like the other week at Brechin City when the ball got stuck up a tree.
Growing up in Scotland in the 1970′s and 80′s, I was Rangers until my mid-teens. Like many I was put off by the sectarianism. I could not identify with all that No Surrender stuff. I felt no connection to the stories and songs about battles fought hundreds of years before, not even in Scotland, but over the sea in Ireland. I couldn’t take to Celtic either so if asked I’ve always said Partick Thistle, which usually kills the conversation dead.
Now, Rangers’ fans are creating a new myth. This is one where the common enemy is not Catholicism but money. It is a story where a club finds redemption and does the nation a great good along the way. I’m not so naive to think this I’d the end of sectarianism but at least there will be the chance for some new songs to be written.
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Why Rangers Should Join The MLS
How Rangers Killed Scottish Football In The 80s
The Death Of Rangers FC: The Catalyst Towards A Brand New Dawn Of Summer Football?
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COMMENTS
Nice article but it fails to mention that Rangers are still buying as many players as they possibly can before the embargoe kicks in. So much for giving youth a chance, no msooner have they played one game and they are back where Ally wants them, on the bench and he now has a host of journeyman pro's on decent money fighting to win the 3rd division. So please dont paint this as a romantic journey, the moneymen are still calling the shots by bringing these guys in and paying them wages that no other team outside of Celtic could afford. Young Scottish talent given a chance, how many of them were playing in the big game last night against East Fife?
Don't forget, they can now spread their poisonous shit over loads of new towns. Despicable cunts.
That'll be the bigotry Chuck Green was on about buck
New name..same shit!!!!
Still splashing fortunes in Scottish terms and with a combined wage bill higher than all the Third and Second division clubs put together. No sign of the kids getting a chance either as Ally has signed top 6 calibre SPL players.He would be found out-as he nearly was@Brechin-if he had the same budget constraints as Peterhead,Montrose etc,while his highly paid players by Scottish standards have the advantage of training every day in good surroundings while compared to the part-time Butcher,Baker and Candlestick maker opponents. Judging by the Brechin game,the bigotry and WATP crap has been raised 100%.I pity the poor folk of Scotland's tranquil wee towns who don't know what they are in for.
poisonous shit, over loads of new towns.i take it buck your a celt, and if so this from a club who's fans follow the ira , and ban poppy day, and in the bad old days of the troubles, the tin can used to make the trip around castle grey skull (parkheaed) for a bung for the ira, and from what i'm told the green brigade are still at it, what i have never worked out if they hate the uk so much why dont they go live in southern iraland, no wait , looking at how may fans turned up last week and this week the spl will so be like the league of iraland,part time & mitchy67, still splashing cash, they have two , they lost twenty plus players ,and the cream of the crop of rangers youngsters , did not want to stick around with the new co, so how is ally going to play them if they have left.and dont pitty the poor towns because they are going to earn loads of cash that the spl are going to miss out on, just ask brechin & peterhead and the towns how much they have made, and so much for the great celt fan turning out in numbers, opening game only 48,000 , whats that some 20,000 down, never mind there will be a couple of old firm games this season to fill the coffers, when the spl and sfa fix the cup draws so both meet up. worst kept secert at hampden park, & spare a thought for motherwell out of europe and just over 3,000 fans at yesterdays game, i bet they could do with playing rangers four times this season,
here's a few fact's for mitchy67 & ally , in fact for all haters of rangers of old and the new co, the new co have now paid off all debts to scottish club's even though they did not have to, FACT. brechin and peterhead both had gates of over 4,000,FACT, while motherwell could only get just over 3,000, for a spl team,and like i said befor celtic first home gate was down by 20.000, FACT,and this little gem made me roar, the dundee united chairmen, one of the main haters was boasting befor the season started that they had sold betwee 10 & 12.000 season tickets, yet there first home game only just over 7.000 turn up.to all you haters of the old and new co you will all need rangers new co more than they need you , FACT , get over it old rangers done wrong got csught and got kicked down to div 3, but they will be back , on there own terms , and when they are god help ya, mind you there could be a few out of it in three years, have a good season one all, and well done celtic for winning the spl by the time the bells ring in the new year.FACT
Oh dear where to start Mike.Your old club don't exist anymore.I see the hold your "cause"like the other green bigots have in Scotland as 90% of folk in my town-Hamilton-support the gruesome twosome.Same in most West of Scotland towns.That's why the likes of Motherwell only have the crowds they do.As for paying back other clubs,look at how this was done-via SPL money going to Hearts etc.What about all the small local businesses-many Rangers supporters-who were shafted by the club they love? Any other club would be glad to be in the League and be extending the olive branch to those who voted them into the SFL-despite not having 3 years worth of accounts like Spartans/Gala Fairydean etc..............but not Newco it seems.To think my Chairman voted to let this poison back in Scottish society unrepentant...well he will find out. A bit of humility and the rest of Scotland would perhaps show some compassion.Instead,we get an institution that committed the greatest fraud in British football history acting as though nothing has changed.
mitchy67 you made some good points, but as long as the spl are still sticking the knife in , i cant see the chairman or any one else showing humility towards ragen or doncaster, and like i said they done wrong got caught and was kicked out, but thats still not enough for them two or most others who has you say hate the gruesome twosome, but scottish football needs both as they bring in the money, and thats where the problem lies today, its all about the cash, its already been pointed out in the press there could well be six spl teams that go under, sad dark days lie ahead for scottish football i'm afraid.and whos to say rangers will go through the leagues, i for one think they will find it harder than one first thought it would be.
good bit in the glasgow evening times today, from longmuir the sfl chief, on how rangers newco are going to benfit the lower leagues
so scottish football does not need rangers, yer ok, this weekend, toal amount of fans going to games in scotland. spl, div 1,div 2, div3, total 47.000, total at ibrox 49.000+. it's rangers that dont need the spl.and the spl plonkers are now saying that they dont have to pay dundee utd , even though they said they would and even signed off on it, doncaster and reagan could not run a piss up at a beer festival.
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