ours who or what their favourite animated character was the answers no doubt
would be wide and varied - ranging from the antics of Bart and Homer right
through to some getting a cyber semi ogling Lara Croft or any number of
punters out there, thinking they are virtual reality 'shoot-em-up'
assassins.
My favourite cartoon character? Well, being a more gently, traditional sort
of cove, my all time fave remains the leader of the Black Crows gang in
Dumbo. You know the one I mean, the wee fly man (if you'll pardon the pun)
wearing the tifter and chewing on a King Edward. If you remember, this
worldly wise, street-smart, sassy boid thought he'd seen everything life had
to throw at him until he came across the Pachyderm with the big lugs.
I have to say I had similar feelings to that black crow on seeing Dumbo take
to the air last weekend. I refer of course to my reading in the rags a
spokesman for the RC Church in Scotland telling us that he was getting right
fed up with his church being joined at the hips with irafitbaclub. (Now
I've seen everthin!)
I can see where they are coming from, the RC Church, in wanting to offload
the yahoos but I can assure Mr Peter Kearney that they are not getting away
with it that easy. The fact is irafitbaclub are a catholic club and I
personally wouldn't have it any other way.
Mr Kearney gets 11/10 for the concerned, new age let's embrace everyone
charade mind you. He tells us of wee Rangers supporting altar boys and the
like. I tell you, if any of these wee bears ever thought of broaching the
subject of wanting to rid Scotland of apartheid schooling then they'd soon
see Mr Kearney's other self coming to the fore.
In between the Scottish press trying to bury their heads in the sand as to
what to make or say about the celebrated Mr K's comments they did however
resort to type. Those oh so predictable lie/the Sellik catechism if you
like about Brother Walf was trotted out for our consumption. You know the
one I mean about him wanting to form a vee-hickle for social integration. I
tell you, this one has grown arms and legs in the Internet era.
Brother Walfrid might have been a nice man. Hell, he might even have been a
sincere man about religion and stuff but the bottom line is, Bro Walfrid in
his capacity as a RC Priest would not have allowed any of his flock to
attend a Protestant funeral. It would have been out of the question. Yet
we've to believe he wanted all us 'Heilan Lauddies' and 'Ben Afllecks' to
play ball together? Only in Scotland could such utter tripe be given any
credence or the light of day. Mark my words, they'll be telling us that
there's no bigotry at CP next!
So that's all right then, the RC Church wants to offload the yahoos and
we've all to go home and sleep snugly in our beds. We've all just to forget
the outrageous, RC Church approved sellik-minded bigotry of the various 'Man
in the Know' columnists over the first half of the 20th Century? Never
forget OThe (Catholic) Observer¹ was laughing up its sleeves at the first
Ibrox Disaster. We've just to forget the pure bile of Maley at the Accident
Enquiry for John Thomson? Perhaps when Peter Kearney apologises for
incidents like these, then maybe, just maybe we'll take him seriously!
The Scottish cup-tie at Dunfermline threw up another ghastly Rangers
performance. We started strong and fast in Fife this season, but it's been
all downhill since that first game in September. Sure, we can point to
chances late on - the miss from Averladze in particular took the biscuit -
but all in all it was another slog.
It has to be said though the Pars once again could rely on some pretty
benevolent and inconsistent refereeing. How that big dud Wilson was allowed
to go through the back of de Boer time and time again without censure was a
disgrace. Regards the sending off for Ferguson? I'm disappointed that a
little non-entity could rile up the whole defence. You can be sure this
little twonk will go back to obscurity before the replay and then come to
Ibrox trying to act big and smart. He'll be given all the help and support
in the world by an indulgent referee of course.
Keeping on the subject of this little reptile Hunt. In the Monday morning
rags, there was very little by way of controversy in the match reports, most
were pretty low key and subdued. In fact, in one of them Hunt told us that
Ferguson said he was sorry after the sending off incident. So it was pretty
astonishing therefore on the Tuesday morning to have Spew Keevins lead with
the news on Radio Cattolica that Ferguson was at the centre of a racist
storm with the aforementioned Dunfermline reptile.
Although Ferguson was supposed to have made a racist comment towards Hunt,
the air was heavy with implication and Keevins' tone made it sound something
altogether different. And to be honest, you don't have to be a rocket
scientist to work out what I'm talking about here. The fact that this
exclusive bombed elsewhere tells its own story.
This 'sensational' story was intermingled with references about Ferguson
being ready to commit to Rangers in a long-term contract. So you have to
assume that Keevins, A - Was trying to put a downward spin on Rangers' prize
asset staying at the club. B - Was trying to keep Inverness dumping his
team out of the Scottish Cup way down the news, or C - Was trying to whip up
racist/religious tension and trouble for the Rangers captain.
What we also have to keep in mind here is that Hunt was the player
Dunfermline sent out to meet the Scottish press after the cup-tie and he
made no mention of anything untoward said to him by Barry Ferguson before,
during or after the match. So that begs the question, what are Rangers
going to do about Radio Cattolica and/or Hugh Keevins? As if we didn't
know!
The sad fact is, we can throw up instances on almost a weekly basis on the
subject of our abominable PR dept and their quite pathetic stance towards
scum in the press who hate our club. Mr Bain had better let the message
sink in, the Rangers support, especially in both fanzines are not going to
go away on the issue.
Not that Keevins worked totally on his own on the Ferguson non-story. A wee
birdy tells me that it was Express man, Andy McInnes, who originally tried
to put words in Hunt's mouth. Again, we need to go back to Hunt's words at
the after match conference. Yet a few days later we've to believe something
sinister was happening out on the pitch.
McInnes is another who would have us believe he is a Bluenose. I disagree,
he is nothing other than a coward of the highest order. It's worth
remembering his behaviour three years ago when the nearest he got to
criticising the yahoos for holding official press conferences in republican
slop houses, was making some inane reference to half eaten pizza lying on
the doss house floor. Again it has to be reiterated, with friends like
McInnes who needs enemies?
Well, surprise surfeckinprise. Noel Hunt is not to be charged by the SFA
for spitting at Bert Konterman last week. Anyone who seriously thought it
would be otherwise must still believe in the tooth fairy and the Easter
bunny rolled into one. It has to be remembered once again that our club's
management will not only accept the SFA's ruling, they'll bend over
backwards and allow this lot to use OUR facilities at Auchenhowie.
Custodians of the club? Don't make me laugh!
While we're on the subject, how many ex Rangers out there in the media do
you think will highlight the SFA's dreadful inconsistency and latest example
of anti-Rangers bias? Derek Johnstone anyone? After all this man is
employed at Ibrox. How many of you out there honestly believe he will use
his column in the Evening Times later on today or his joke slot on Snide
tomorrow to fight Rangers corner?
Or big Goughie perhaps? He's another one who was quite prepared to let rip
against a Rangers player last week in the same circumstances. Do any of you
think tricky Dicky will come out all guns blazing on Rangers behalf this
weekend?
Hateley maybe? McCoist? OK, let me put it another way. Do you think
there's the slightest chance that even one ex Ranger in the press will come
out and try and articulate what the Rangers support is feeling today or our
frustration on this subject? If not, then why do we tolerate them at all?
If they ain't prepared to stick up for us, then zero tolerance is the only
answer. They deserve to be treated no better than our scum press.
One of the most nauseating of all aspects of being involved in the Internet
these last few years is the way the fans of other Scottish clubs have
aligned themselves with the mhanks, such is their haste to be seen to be
anti-Rangers. The charge is always the very predictable and frankly boring.
'Rangers fans are English wannabes' being a most striking example. Well you
do have to ask in light of Timmy's behaviour this week in gloating at the
death of a Scottish soldier over in the Gulf where all our patriotic
Scotsmen have been hiding? And we wonder why Scotland is in the state its
in?
So another International lost weekend is almost upon us. Don't know about
you lot, but I've got some paint to watch dry.
All I want for this weekend is a no injury situation for any Rangers players
involved. After that, I couldn't care less.
THE GOVANHILL GUB