Reason Why We Hate R*ngers: Part 2
As you would expect from a club with a history of hatred, bigotry and greed they attract a certain type of player. Some would call them ‘characters’ others, who have a sense of decency, call them despicable human beings whose parents really should have been neutered to stop them producing such Satan’s spawn.
Though their history is littered with such players but since the arrival of Graeme Souness in 1986 – the start of their Gordon Gekko: Greed is good era – there has been the addition of the foreign mercenary to the usual homegrown thugs that have been dragged up.
The foreign mercenaries were so desperate to endear themselves to the supporters that they embraced hatred, bigotry and greed like an In-Betweener grabbing the chance of another oral $ex joke. On one of those late night high brow BBC 2 shows, I’m sure, that this phenomenon would be described as art imitating real life. If there was anything artful about the way they play football or intelligence about the real life.
This modern day legacy was started by Souness who on his very first game for the club tried to half ex-Celt George McCluskey in two. One Beast signing, Jan Bartram, said at the time that Souness : “ wasn’t trying to build a football side, but a team full of hammer throwers” This was proved correct when Souness signed Terry Hurlock to do his dirty work as his fake tan wasn’t up to it anymore.
One of the first out the trenches was Graham Roberts. His conducting of the masses ensured he was accepted and he continued to appeal to the lowest life forms with repeatedly thuggish displays against Celtic. He also ensured that the fans knew he understood what they were about. His behaviour was as dignified as a homeless hobo who had soiled himself outside Primark.
We know about former R*ngers club captain Fernando Ricksen’s off field activities. They include drunk driving, wife beating, fighting with Police officers and fireworks. On the park he was also known for violent assaults. After booting Aberdeen’s Derek Young, Ricksen denied that he meant it before boasting on his website it was to teach him a lesson by straightening him out.
Ricksen also violently elbowed Derek Riordan in the face which saw the club show their disgust at this on field violence by fining him half a weeks wages and saying it was more reckless than violent.
Another Club Captain who endeared himself to the hoards was Lorenzo Amoruso despite those hoards roundly booing him early in his R*ngers career and him admitting to being bemused about why they abused his religion. Amoruso was a sleazy Italian who proclaimed to be god’s gift. He wasn’t and laughably claimed to be addicted to Bailey’s Irish Cream after he ballooned to the size of a blue whale that had eaten a house.
Amoruso was caught racially abusing Dortmund striker, Victor Ipkeba, an act which he denied, then had to admit after Tv cameras caught him mouthing racist remarks. This incident endeared him to the R*ngers fans. The club failed to reprimand their club captain and their was a reported increase of racist abuse in the stands of Ipox after the incident.
R*ngers silence was also deafening after Amoruso was banned for four games after he spat on James Grady who just happens to be a Celtic fan. Amoruso tried to defend his actions despite them being caught on Tv and the club only said that they were disappointed to lose their captain at this stage of the season.
Another player who was roundly booed, this time for blessing himself when coming on as sub, was Georgian Shota Arveladze who was caught racial abusing Bobo Balde. Again, no condemnation from the club, though the player was sold after saying the club lacked ambition. That must have been a bigger crime.
Ok, to a Scottish Shame.
To end is the ballad of Alec Rae. Gollum’s stunt double got a 5 match European ban after kicking CSKA Moscow player Sergei Dadu twice in the head, leaving the player with concussion. Rae denied he meant the sicking attack and his manager, Big Feckless, said the ball was there to be won….it just so happened that a Moscow player was lying beside it at the time.
There seems to be a trend of denial developing here.
The player himself said on a Radio Station a few months later if I’d meant to kick Dadu at close range in the head he would have never have gotten up again.
Not bad for a bunch of rowers from Kining Park.