Sitting in a pub in Halifax en route to Derby, watching the Jambos v Sellick game and hoping for a Scum Of victory, was not an experience I'd like to repeat.
Twice in the past month or so I've now found myself having to bite the bullet, break the habit of a lifetime and actually hope They don't get gubbed. God, it really went against the grain and it got me thinking about how we got into such a mess and, more importantly, who was responsible for forcing me to abandon my long-held high principles.
Take a bow David Murray and Martin Bain. Years of downsizing, of diminished ambition, of penny-pinching which forced the manager to go about his business without the tools for the job, landed Rangers in the doomsday scenario cul-de-sac, where we were looking for favours from the Great Unwashed to reach a very modest second place in the SPL table.
Less than a year ago Fernando made us all laugh with his ‘First is everything, second is nothing' line. So where does that put third? Failing to finish in the top two in Scotland's mickey mouse league is a bit like finishing third in the Boat Race. Thanks a lot, Mr Chairman.
Maybe if David Murray and his lackey had to sit with us at Halifax, listening to a nearby gang of hooped horrors who took great delight in our discomfort, they might begin to realise the damage they have done. The sniggers, the snide remarks, the constant mocking of our club, made for a very unpleasant afternoon. Unlike the Minted One or his sidekick, I take great pride in being a Rangers man but sometimes it is hard to retain the dignity which goes with the territory.
Since the turn of the century, our emotions have been through the wringer but hoping for an FC Semtex win has marked a depth we have never before plumbed. I firmly believe the Treble success of 2002-03 and the great joy of Helicopter Sunday got Murray and Bain out of jail at pivotal moments and enabled them to keep chipping away at the fabric of the club. Only recently, when the fans' venom got personal and Mr Lifetime Commitment's ego took a battering, did he show any real recogniton of our plight. Methinks, he can thank his lucky stars Timothy isn't celebrating six in a row.
The imminent arrival of Paul Le Guen suggests that an exciting new era might be dawning. It better be! The embarrassment of hoping for a Septic win has been a bit too much for me. Forget Berwick, Chesterfield and Zizkov, last Sunday was the all-time low.
We must NEVER go there again.
Everybody Enjoys Ibrox…Except Us!
On the phone to Sheepieville recently, I was told what a wonderful afternoon the Dollies had enjoyed on their visit to our place. They got to have their flag display, they were free to sing about the Ibrox Disaster and Simmie's assault on Ian Durrant and they could even go home gloating over the damage they had done to our Champions League aspirations after holding the Sons Of to a 1-1 draw.
However, while they were having a ball, Bears were having to endure another agonising day, with the Blue Order's frustrations being aggravated by in-house nonsense which prevented any significant display of colour from the home support.
I don't suppose David Murray, Martin Bain or Laurence McIntyre have noticed but it is becoming more and more evident that away fans are regularly having more fun at Ibrox than those who regularly shell out their hard-earned, whether in a pre-season lump sum for a season ticket or by snapping up available briefs on a week by week basis.
Of course, the abysmal efforts of our team have fuelled the mood of doom and gloom but it really is hard to take when those who want to make the matchday experience more colourful and entertaining for Rangers fans find our club repeatedly putting hurdles in their way…while reptiles who glory in the tragedies and misfortunes of our past are encouraged to do their damnedest.
Our club is currently under attack from many sources and there appears to be no strategy to defend our good name. Indeed, when organisations like the Blue Order repeatedly find themselves running into a brick wall when dealing with those on Rangers' payroll, you have to wonder if there are elements within the club who secretly want to bring it all crushing down around us.
Martin Bain's policy of not employing Rangers fans is beginning to bite big time. The heat is on our club, everybody wants to stick the boot in, but the hired hands who should be fighting back are simply content to go through the motions, lifting their pay cheques at the end of the month, then heading for home totally unconcerned about our plight.
I've heard many Bears talk about not renewing their season tickets and, while the appointment of Paul Le Guen may have persuaded some to think again, it will be interesting to monitor the figures once deadline day passes. For so many, going to Ibrox is no longer an enjoyable experience and, sadly, once they get out of the habit, it will be well nigh impossible to tempt them back to the fold.
All of which will leave more space free for visiting fans who can continue to have a ball at our expense.
Linfield: Prepare For The Backlash
Just when you think our club can do nothing right, they pull a rabbit out of the hat and give you one of those Ye-e-e-esssss moments.
Can't you just see all those irate Press Gangsters digging into their dictionaries, having a wee competition amongst themselves to see who can come up with the biggest word which expresses their disgust, when they heard Rangers had agreed to meet Linfield at Windsor Park on July 6? And at that time of year too!!!
Here we go again. But when else can we be expected to play a pre-season friendly? And it is a sad fact of life that any date on the calendar is sure to come close to one anniversary or another from Northern Ireland's recently troubled past.
Once more the Hack Pack's message is clear. While it is fine for FC Semtex to have their end of season awards dinner in Dublin, Rangers should NEVER play in Belfast.
But Rangers are a football club, in the business of playing football matches and, with a huge support in Ulster, why shouldn't we include Belfast in our pre-season schedule?
This next match will be our fourth at Windsor in four years. Wouldn't it be nice to think somebody at Ibrox is consciously winding up Britney, MickNee and the rest?
Just a thought.
ERWIN G.