Soccer Football - Champions League - Group A - Rangers v Liverpool - Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - October 12, 2022 General view of fans outside the stadium before the match Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith
As the Ibrox crisis has gathered pace, one of the most notable aspects has been the retreat from reality. Instead of addressing the real causes of their downfall, many are retreating into a bizarre funhouse of fantasy, with excuses and scapegoats everywhere.
Bear with me for a moment as I get a bit political.
Almost all those who vote for far-right parties are uneducated white males. There’s something about this group that makes them especially susceptible to dog whistles about immigrants, women, or liberals. They become suspicious of intellectuals and resistant to science and evidence-based reality.
This stems from our culture, our education system, and our workplaces. The idea persists that white males are born with certain entitlements, that they are somehow superior to those who look different. When you think about it, this belief is ingrained throughout society.
I’m a white male, but I’m an educated white male.
Part of that comes from my Catholic background, which emphasised education as a way to unlock doors traditionally closed to people from that heritage. In my early career, I largely avoided the days of being asked, “What school did you go to?” That type of questioning had become illegal by then. Still, I’ve filled out job applications that asked me to specify my Christian denomination—Catholic or Protestant. That gave me a slight sense of what it might be like to walk into a job interview and be judged on your ethnicity.
But I don’t have to live with that every day.
I’m not judged on my skin colour, nor do I face the constant microaggressions or sarcastic questions about my name or background. Discrimination to that extent is something I’ve been able to recognise but haven’t really experienced the sharp end of.
Conversely, I’ve never been asked in an interview what I would do if I got pregnant, or whether I would expect maternity leave.
The number of women who are sexually harassed, and even assaulted, at work is staggeringly high. One in three women reports being subjected to some form of sexual assault. I recently read a Guardian piece about a female Spurs fan who was sexually assaulted on a train full of rival supporters. Many of them knew what was happening, and some even laughed.
As a white male, I can’t fully comprehend what that’s like, not beyond a surface level. So, the idea that white males are more likely to vote for far-right parties is deeply rooted in our lack of understanding of what people who are different go through. It’s partly driven by the same attitude that fuels racism and misogyny: the idea that because we are white and male, we have rights and entitlements others do not.
Throw in economic disadvantage, the lack of education, and you’ve got a toxic brew. Along comes someone who says, “Your struggles aren’t your fault. How could they be? You’re a white man. You built civilisation!” They then shift the blame: “It’s women, with their demands for rights and jobs. It’s immigrants taking your housing and opportunities. The government gives them everything.”
At the heart of it is the notion that “all of this belongs to us, and they’re denying you your piece of it.” That’s what powers Trump, Farage, Le Pen, Orban, Meloni, and others.
This mindset explains exactly what has gone wrong across the city. The club’s supporters and their media cheerleaders continue to embrace bizarre theories and irrational explanations for why they aren’t doing better.
This morning, I read a piece in the Sunday Mail which I might tear apart line by line tomorrow, but today I want to focus on its central message. That message is ghastly, and it sounds disturbingly like the dog whistles we hear from the far right.
The article was about Jim McAlister, the former Ibrox kitman who succeeded Jimmy Bell, and how standards have supposedly plummeted since McAlister was forced out. Once again, the piece pointed the finger at James Bisgrove, who has become the bogeyman of Ibrox, a convenient scapegoat for all their failures.
But this article was more insidious than simple blame-shifting.
It was a proper dog-whistle piece, dripping with pro-Ibrox propaganda and reeking of elitism and supremacist nonsense. It was that bad, and I’m not overstating it. A lot of people sent it to me, some finding it funny. I didn’t find it funny at all.
From the first paragraph, the weirdness radiates off the page. The article describes what can only be called a cultish shrine. Even the language in the opening segment is strange, with the most bizarre word being “indoctrination.”
The writer, Scott McDermott, describes the former kit room of Jimmy Bell as an “inner sanctum.” A place filled with memorabilia from Ibrox’s so-called glory days. It’s a weird thing for a kit room to have been turned into. Here’s how McDermott describes it:
“It was a meeting point. A talking shop for players, coaches, and staff alike. It was where new signings were brought as their first port of call. An induction centre. The hub, where anyone who didn’t know what the club was about quickly found out. They had no choice. The smell of history, prestige, and success filled their nostrils as soon as they walked through the door. Whether they were from Aberdeen or Argentina, they were indoctrinated. This little area was a part of the (Ibrox) fabric.”
Now to me, that just sounds plain weird.
But if you’re following the logic McDermott lays out in the piece, it is the dismantling of this strange monument to a dead and gone history that lies at the heart of everything that’s gone wrong at Ibrox in the last few years. The room once belonged to Jimmy Bell, and it was taken over by McAlister, who lovingly tended it until he was unceremoniously dumped out of the club.
And that, apparently, is when the decline began.
How in God’s name do you get people to believe that the collapse of a football club can be traced to the firing of a kitman? And how in the aftermath of his firing, his predecessors widow took apart this shrine to past glories and packed it away in some boxes in her garage at home?
It’s as if all this tat had magical powers, and by taking down the shrine, it somehow weakened the entire institution. Isn’t it telling that the word “indoctrination” was used here? Because I think that’s a more fitting word than the writer seems to realise.
There’s something truly odd about that word, and about this whole idea that a kit room had been transformed into an “indoctrination centre” where new signings had this cultural garbage rammed down their throats.
Some of them would have been Catholic, and I imagine they didn’t know what to make of this bizarre little ceremony, except that it probably creeped them out quite a bit.
It’s like that picture of the monarch hanging in the dressing room. What the hell? What does that even mean? What’s that even for? You’re trying to build a team full of leaders, instil leadership principles, and yet, right there in the middle of it all, is a portrait of a king, a ruling monarch. So, what you’re really saying to everyone in that room is that we are proud subjects, not citizens. We’re not leaders; we’re the led, and we wear that status like a badge of honour.
That’s messed up. That’s bizarre. That’s insane.
But it all ties together: Defenders of the faith, No Surrender, We Are The Peepul.
It’s all nuts. And what this article is really saying is that it’s the loss of this identity that’s holding them back from being the best club they can be. That their club has fallen behind because some inside its walls didn’t pay even lip service to 17th-century concepts.
It’s the same sort of thinking that drives uneducated white males to vote for far-right parties: the idea that outsiders have come in, devalued the culture, and taken away a sense of identity that used to bind their people together. Then, it turns into a kind of conspiracy about how those others are deliberately, for sinister reasons, stripping them of what’s rightfully theirs.
What amazes me is the complete absence of understanding that these people are, in large part, victims of their own behaviour and their own cultural mindset.
The uneducated white male who votes for a far-right party will never accept that it’s his own ignorance that holds him back. Even with the advantages of being born male and white in a white male-dominated society, he’s somehow fallen behind.
When he sees immigrants getting ahead or women gaining more rights, the idea that they had to fight and claw for those things never crosses his mind.
It would never occur to him to look at the House of Commons, which is still predominantly white and male, and wonder how, if white males are so marginalised, they still seem to hold the lion’s share of influence in running the country.
It’s the same with Ibrox fans, who imagine this great nexus of power arrayed against them. It never dawns on them that all of the troubles which have befallen them over the past decade were brought about within their own house.
Part of the problem is this supremacist mindset—that they were an institution, rather than just a West of Scotland football club, and were therefore too big to fail.
The only real nexus of power that’s arrayed against them is Celtic. And that’s where their biggest intellectual difficulty lies. It’s the hardest thing for them to grasp, and the reason they believe in all these magical solutions.
This idea, in particular, that if only their club was once again filled with people who “get it”—who understand the culture and are part of it—they could overtake us. Maybe we’re just better at this than they are. Maybe we’re just smarter, worked harder, and endured adversity, knowing that if we put in the hard work, it would eventually pay off.
I badly want them to go down this road.
I desperately want to see what the consequences will be if their answer to this crisis is to bring in people who “get it,” who understand and are part of the culture. It’s the best possible thing that could happen to us. It’s the best rabbit hole they could disappear down, and I get a thrill thinking that’s what they’ll end up doing.
Because nothing will lead them further from sanity, and nothing will lead them further from progress, than persisting with the same mindset and attitudes that got them here in the first place.
You see, there’s no part of them that understands that it’s this mentality—the mentality of subjects, not citizens, of being subservient while believing themselves to be the masters of the universe—that has led them to this sorry place.
That club is a cesspit. The stink of craziness wafts off it, and the only way they’re ever going to get better is by advancing past this stuff.
But instead, they cling to it ever more tightly. They hold onto it with all their strength, and it’s that which is killing them.
McDermott’s piece is horrendous because it is so backward and stupid, so presumptively arrogant. And they don’t get it. There’s nothing I can say, or you can say, that will make them understand the truth. Because, deep down, they do believe they’re special. They believe the real problem is that their club is filled with people who don’t understand how special they are.
Talk about looking for answers in all the wrong places.
Another cracker James.. spot on as always ????
Creepy boot licking sectarian oddballs that would give the Maga cult a run for their money.
They lack the ability of ‘Critical Introspection’.
Some because they have never been taught how to do it and others, who do know how, but are terrified to do it because,
intuitively they know the’ve been sold a pup and are either too embarrassed to admit it, or are too terrified of the
adjustments they would have to make to reconcile them selves to ‘Reality’.
Peer pressure and Family upbringing are tough obstacles to surmount.
Enjoyable read. Somehow managing to articulate the inexplicable.
Interestin well written article. And because its very much along the same vein, ahm actually goin tae mention this classic song once again and ah know, ahm now in real danger of soundin like some sort of Rush budgie. It’s originally refferin tae the kkk and tackles that particular subject. Tho ah don’t know of any lyric in a song, that would sum up so effectively, the huge element of the ibrox support, institution and also, the ‘cultural’ background that a lot of them still cling tae. ( The song is Witch Hunt by Rush) The lyric goes ‘quick to judge, quick to anger, slow to understand. Ignorance and prejudice and fear walk hand in hand’. Ah mean how true is that in general and these people don’t just cling tae it in football terms, it’s in the fabric of their everyday lives. Anyway, that’s the last ah’ll mention it. It’s just my own analogy, tho very relevant imo (and btw, Geddy Lee’s autobiography, which ah happen tae be readin at the mo, is superb) Thought ahd throw that in. Nae harm in givin it a plug.
Indeed, that was one weird article – even by The DR low standards.
It’s like the resident copy / pasters have entered their very own episode of
‘The Twilight Zone’,
and playing a version of ‘Cluedo’ whilst under the influence of hallucinogenics:
THE KITMAN DID IT !
🙂
Special people with Special needs.
There’s always a bit missing from these articles that make them a bit confusing, the secretive bit of the traditional sect they belong to.
Hi James
An interesting critique of a very strange article. It shows how much Ibrox and the Scottish Protestant thing is now part of an older Scotland receding into the twilight. I am 69 brought in Edinburgh in an Irish Catholic background where Rangers and all it stood for was the dominant force in Scotland. These days are gone, Scotland is more multicultural, much less religious. The club is trying to pretend that the world hasn’t moved on. And like there fellow flute players across the North Channel in the six counties they are no longer the dominant force. Learning to live with that is what they find so hard. until they do, their club and their ‘culture’ will find it impossible to survive.
Brian, do you still live in Edinburgh or the East Coast?
I was away from Scotland for many years, but had to come back to care for someone.
I’m at the top of my profession and was lucky that every job interview I’ve had previously was about agreeing terms, not whether I was being offered the position.
Upon returning to Scotland, the very first meeting I had with a company I had business dealings with in the past was “what school did you go to?”
My CV deliberately does not mention schools.
My reply was “if you need to ask that question I’m not the person you are looking for”. The next three meetings involved the school question or what team I supported.
In my 50’s I don’t need that crap. Thankfully I picked a smaller company with an open outlook for lower salary, but I’m happy.
Now, your point about the whole supremacist thing receding into the past and SScotland being multicultural. I disagree. When I returned I found out instantly that the bitterness has increased ten fold since I was last living here. The survival and victim lies coupled with Celtic’s total dominance have fuelled hatred to levels I find disturbing.
Scotland, and its real true colours, has anti Irish/Catholic bigotry riven in its DNA. It will take another 200 years and a massive demographic change to even begin to balance this. Perhaps the only alternative would be a minor thermo nuclear event, but then we would all perish.
Unmonitored social media has a sin to answer for as these unhinged lunatics can say what they like and no form of justice touches them.
(I am sure when the OBFA was introduced, The Police made a big noise about their online unit and how they would crack down on the forums and social media platforms that promoted hate. Never heard another peep from them about that, has anyone else? Maybe having a force predominantly using 1690 or 1872 as their passwords prevents them from cracking down on the online forums serving Sevco and its supporters)
I’ve been called a Fenian B the length and breadth of this country, I’ve sat in boardrooms and listened to naked bigotry in its rawest form. It is not going away, it has gotten worse.
My children worked their socks off for their qualifications to do better. They are positively encouraged to travel the world and get the hell out of here.
When you’ve been away and come back you realise how the editorial, political and establishment slant is so twisted and skewered against one particular demographic that it’s beyond belief.
When my duties are complete I shall be off again and I will fly in to take in games when I can.
The only thing I’ll miss is the beautiful freezing cold water.
I’m pleased though that you think it has changed for the better. I must mix with the wrong peepul.
Two different but interesting points there…
I think the young ones out with major towns and cities are definitely not so interested in the ‘we arra peepil’ mentality as what the older ones are and most want Independence for Scotland thankfully…
However it is still there in pockets around these shores but small and marginalised pockets thankfully…
But guys like that crayon level scrawling rag typist certainly ain’t helping things one little bit…
I keep an eye on the political scene in Ireland from afar and on BBC Radio Ulster one day, the former PSNI high ranking cop Will Kerr said he’d spent time in Scotland and he was ‘shocked’ at the level of bigotry in the country…
He didn’t specially specify Anti Catholic Bigotry but we all know what he meant…
Given where he comes from if he says it’s bad then it must be bad !
Wee Scotty McDermott….the ‘ chief ‘ sports scoop at the Sunday Mail who produces this low quality piece of a story for his dozens of readers . You don’t have to be a blood relative of Albert Einstein himself to figure out the insanity of him in such a high position at the paper ? And who the hell was the ‘ genius ‘ who promoted him to the job in the first place ? Every half decent scoop out there struggling for work ,must be rolling their eyes incredulously at McDermott’s ridiculous tale of woe with it’s bonkers reasoning ….too many lagers for breakfast !
Bravo
This is a bigoted protestant cult,that genuinely believe they are a race apart, indeed they are… They hate anything catholic,Irish, the 2nd team to get nine in a row,,the second team to win a secondary European prize,,, the curse of their football d.n.a. i.e sectarianism runs in their very veins..they are defunct,thank god,,,, and remain second…. The future is green and white ,who ever you are and wherever your from ,creed,or colour…. Hail hail.
The Sunday mail/daily ranger written by ra peepul for ra peepul snigger snigger
This guy McDermott is a good example of the people who got jobs and promotion way above their intelligence level in the past, just because of what school they went to, or what secret society them or their fathers were part of.
Thankfully these days are coming to an end, there are only a few pockets of resistance to these changes in Scottish society, unfortunately the sports media both broadcasting and print are one of those pockets of resistance to change.
The only club in Scotland to have had an anti Catholic sectarian signing policy for nearly 100 years was the original Rangers FC, during this time they helped legitimised other industries carrying out the same sectarian policy. They were the only football club in Scotland to practice this policy and because of that they were the only Scottish football club i’ve always intensely disliked, and I would say with good reason.
A sizeable. number of the supporters of the successor company and club are of the same way of thinking and their dumb friends in the media just keep printing the happy clappy nonsense to keep the gullibillies happy.
They are so thick they don’t even realise that their cover ups and refusal to print the truth have been a big part of the reason for their downfall.
I stumbled upon this on Wallow Wallow James…
They are openly bragging that The crayon scribbler is indeed ‘One of our Own’ (Sevco)…
He is clearly a fanboy who yearns for ‘Real Rainjurz Men’ to ‘plant one’ on Celtic players and his article is of a truly disturbing modern mindset which his editor has clearly OK’d – (They are also boasting that the deputy editor is ‘One of Us’ (Again Sevco)…
Given that I don’t pay a penny towards The Scummy’s of The Scummy Scottish Football Media I cannot beat myself up about his article and I don’t as such have a problem with him supporting Sevco, as I have to share pubs with them from time to time but they ain’t as rabid as the crayon scribbler that scrawled that tripe up…
What has happened to professional football writers in this country ? – I mean “The smell of history ? Prestige ? Success ? filled their nostrils as soon as they walked through the door” – What The actual fuck – The smell of back vomit is coming through my nostrils even reading that bit alone !
I remember forty years ago as a teenage lad going down to the shop in school summer holidays to get The Daily Record for ma wee Hibernian supporting granny and stopping to read what was going on at Celtic and how the pre season results went – McClair and Melrose signing were memories and also jumping out was a 7-0 pre season tour win over Toronto Blizzard, but the reporting was fair and less biased or partisan for sure…
The guy’s name was I think Alex Cameron – Now with a name like that one could take it as read he’d be a ‘Rangers’ (as they were then) supporter or perhaps not – one thing is you would not know unlike this imbecilic fan boy who would put The Sevco View (if they have a club weekly) to shame for not being within a million miles of his and his rag’s bias…
Hopefully though very soon he’ll have the misery of the dole to contend with and lose his home as his vomit induced rag goes to the grave to join his and it’s beloved ‘Rangers’ though no doubt he’d rock up at Liebrox in one of their many vacancies…
He’d be a perfect fit for that club and their fans on Wallow Wallow certainly seem to love the crayon scribbling imbecile !