Giving my tupp-Spence worth

It's been a hell of a week for BBC Scotland journalist Jim Spence.

For those who haven't heard, Spence, discussing the return of former chairman John McClelland to the Rangers board, said the following on the radio:

“John McLelland, who was chairman of the old club . . . some people will tell you the club . . . well the club that died, possibly coming back in terms of the new chairman.”

So, he pointed out that there are some people out there that think that the Rangers that existed before 2012 is dead.  You don't have to look hard to find fans with that view.  But though he didn't say whether he agreed with that view or not, Spence and the BBC were hit by threats of legal action from Rangers regarding the comments.  The Beeb got 400 complaints from Rangers fans (do these people not have jobs and lives?) and felt the need to make an apology for any offence caused.

If only that were the end of it.  Spence also received several threatening texts and emails from Rangers fans.  Because he referred to the complaints while quoting Martin Niemoller on Twitter, he was also accused of insinuating that Rangers fans are Nazis (it has to be said, it takes impressive tangential thinking to come to that conclusion).  To cap it all, a couple of days later he had to contact Tayside police after he and his wife were accosted whilst taking a walk.

Things were sufficiently bad that he volunteered to take redundancy, but he does appear to have been backed by the BBC and his union and persuaded to stay.

The irony?  The statement from Rangers attacking the BBC came from their Director of Communications, who happens to be one Jim Traynor.  In his past life as a Daily Record columnist, Traynor, also a former BBC colleague of Spence, claimed on more than one occasion that "Rangers are dead".

Sadly, these attempts at intimidation are not a rare occurrence.  Plenty of other journalists have come under fire for criticizing the Ibrox club.  The BBC were banned for a period last season.  Then there was the saga regarding the SFA tribunal panel last year that met to  rule on the punishment for the old club's (am I allowed to say that without a bomb being put through my letterbox?) misdemeanours - Ally McCoist, despite knowing who was on the panel, demanded the names of the panel members be made public, then a Rangers website leaked their identities.  The three men and their families required police protection.  One of them was a director of Raith Rovers, and so the club received a threat to "torch Stark's Park".  More ridiculously, Falkirk removed their stadium announcer after complaints about his referral to the Rangers as "Sevco" (the name of the parent company) when reading half-time scores out.

It's been hugely in Rangers' short-term interests to encourage a siege mentality amongst their support - the belief that "it's us against them" has been critical in keeping season ticket numbers up despite the poor quality of opposition and, last season at least, the poor quality of their own team.  If I were being cynical - and, let's face it, I'm always cynical - it's also a useful way of trying to distract from the club's own internal problems.

But it's had a knock-on effect.  For the most part, the club and their fans have got on well with their lower league opponents over the last year or so - the smaller clubs have of course benefitted enormously in financial terms from playing the Gers - but there continues to be regular references to the way top flight clubs allegedly stuck the boot into Rangers when they threw them out of the SPL in the summer of 2012.  Then-Chief Executive Charles Green asked Rangers fans to boycott a cup match at Tannadice in February.  Some Caley Thistle fans were pelted with coins from the Ibrox support when they knocked Rangers out of the League Cup earlier in the season.  And when the Old Firm youth teams - the youth teams, for god's sake - met in May at Firhill, pandemonium insued, with damaged seats, pitch invasions and arrests galore.

Of course, the last incident didn't just involve Rangers fans.  The Celtic supporters were giving at least as good as they got.  Imagine if the two sides got drawn together in the Scottish Cup this season?  In fact, I shudder at the idea of Rangers being drawn against any Premiership side.  For the problem is not just these Rangers 'supporters' - who are clearly still very much the minority in the club's fanbase, but unfortunately seem to be the ones who shout loudest and who are courted by the club - who threaten other people in person or over the internet, or who see football as an excuse or opportunity for violence.  It's the fact that their actions have turned the "us against them" mentality the other way round.  Fans of all the other clubs are developing an increasing loathing for these thugs and what they stand for.

It's all poisonous.  I can foresee a situation where, if this is left to fester, there will be a real problem when Rangers get back to the top flight.  There are too many people who associate with the club who bear real malice and a real grudge against the rest of us.  And I'm sure the number of people who support other clubs who are developing real malice and a real grudge towards Rangers.  Imagine what could happen the first time the Gers visit Pittodrie, let alone when the first post-liquidation Old Firm derby takes place.  It doesn't bear thinking about.

I think the SFA hoped that a few years in the lower divisions would rehabilitate Rangers; that's clearly not happening.  Someone needs to step in now and put an end to this.  Traynor et al could do it themselves, and reclaim a bit of moral high ground, by denouncing threats and violence by so-called fans.  If not, then Stewart Regan needs to come down on any more bear-baiting like a ton of bricks and broker some sort of peace.  That, of course, would require leadership from the SFA's Chief Exec, and so won't happen.  He will instead do what he always does, and quietly pray that the problem will go away.  It won't.

As for the original issue - did Rangers die or not?  Maybe they did - there's evidence to support that.  Maybe they didn't - there's evidence to support that too.  More importantly, who the f*** cares?  For the love of god, it's only football.

L.