We have come under tremendous pressure from all sides of the media. We're getting slaughtered on phone-ins by non-Rangers fans from all over Scotland. We are the main target of the "non-sectarian" lobby if not the only target.
There are 2 agendas here.
Agenda Group 1.
This group is made up of genuine decent people who don't want to listen to disrespectful chants, abusive songs or anything that supports paramilitary organisations. We are alienating these people when we continue to engage in this sort of behaviour. The genuine people who are supportive of Agenda 1 perceive us as loudmouth, abusive and disruptive and they don't even care about football or support a team.
Agenda Group 2.
This is a more sinister group who are specifically anti Rangers, probably anti-British and is dominated by pro-active Celtic fans across our whole social spectrum. This is the group who play down all the negative aspects of Celtic misbehaviour whilst highlighting any incidents involving Rangers. This is the group who have managed to convince a huge number of people outwith the old firm divide that Celtic are really ok but Rangers are mindless bigots. This group will not rest until we are docked points or put out of Europe. They will celebrate any punishment we receive.
We have to fight on 2 fronts. We have to get active on phone-ins, write in to letters pages, support friendly journalist and highlight all the good things we are doing. We must make sure that we log complaints when any other fans sing unacceptable songs, including, Aberdeen and Hibs. Maybe we should be reporting Killie for singing about being "up to their knees in Ayr blood"
The main front has to be our own behaviour. We need to become ambassadors of the club. We need to invent new songs and sing the proper words to our original songs. We need to stop the anti-social behaviour that we see from some of our fans. Let's not kid ourselves it's not a problem. It's things like pissing in the streets, stopping in lay bys and pissing in front of passing cars with families inside them. Throwing litter all over the place, shouting and swearing in the middle of main streets surrounded by innocent shoppers looking for a quiet day out.
We Are The People brings a responsibility with it. We can learn from our friends in Northern Ireland. They have entered a whole new world of peace and reconciliation. The NI international support MUST be our role model. We are the People is our proud statement let's make sure when innocent people hear it they smile and feel good rather than dreading our arrival and feel threatened.
I've been a Rangers fan over 50 years and have no doubt that we've been out-thought and out-manoeuvred over the past 10 years by the PR machine that is Celtic F.C. We are on the outside of mainstream Scottish society. They have taken over the establishment in the West of Scotland.
In short I believe we've been mugged. For the past 10 years we've been making enemies while they've been making friends.
Let's be ambassadors, let's take the image of Rangers fans and turn it into something special. Let's work at making friends not enemies. Let's never forget our traditions, our heritage and our fantastic support throughout the world. Let's make the name Rangers a positive force again.
We need to earn the right to sat it loudly and say it proudly,
"We are the People"
The Bear fae Ayr