The Old Firm

[zigackly]

Would like to make it clear by the way that my liking for Celtic is in no way sectarian, since I am an atheist. Also, the lads and lasses who made that banner are a non-sectarian fan group.

[bobhorse]

Originally Posted by Tom R

Why do many Liverpool fans have some strange allegiance to Rangers or Celtic??
I've never understood it. Where does it stem from?
At the end of the day they're both just shit teams, playing in a shit league in another country. Why not get behind fucking Livorno or Cagliari or someone like that as well?

It's just really, really weird.

Please explain yourselves. I'm not having a go, I just really don't understand it. So what's the score?

Tom R, you sound like Tom Hicks in your lack of knowledge regarding this, but we know you are clued up. For younger fans or people away from these shores I will add my two pence worth. (cos that is about all its worth )

Liverpool has always had a connection to both Rangers and Celtic and that was a regular chant on the Kop every week
Liverpool Like Belfast and Glasgow has a mixed population either side of the sectarian divide within Ireland
People from Ireland settled in those cities in times gone by.
Now it isn’t in anyway as hostile as it once was .
I was raised RC and as such Celtic was my team I come from a mix marriage with my mum being from the dark side and as such I have a lot of cousins that are not only on the dark side but some of them where in the orange order to boot
We all played together and from a very early age they would walk on the 12th July and kids being kids we wanted to go and see it (The March) coming back from Southport
My old man hated the Lodge with real venom and he would want us kept in on the 12th but if he was working or in the pub me mum would let us go and see them.
King Billy on his horse etc and a fella with a fish on a pole and a sign saying Cured at Lourdes so it was always confusing for me.
As I grew older and could make my own mind up, I couldn’t care if you where Black, White ,Blue, Green ,Orange or Yellow.
A cunt is a cunt not because of the team he follows or the faith he is born into, so I judge how I find but I still would pick Celtic over Rangers every time as you cant just change your team
I have been to both teams grounds to see games with both sets of supporters and have enjoyed both.

I can say that the only open hatred that I did see was in the company of Rangers supporters who I could not believe behaved like they did towards other people. shouting after a Priest that he was a kiddie fiddler etc
This I couldn’t believe for grown men to behave like that was disappointing to say the least
and in the Louder Bar having to listen to We Are The Billy Boys, The Sash my Father Wore and Here Lies a Soldier on the Duke box
Also No Pope of Rome sung with such bitterness i found quite funny if I’m honest
I knew some of the people away from football and they where really nice people but they changed as soon as they where in this environment
I cant judge them as it is the same for me with Man Utd I am a different person when we play them and i know I am but cant help that
Anyway great strides are being made by both sides and long may it continue to be so
Its easy when you are outside of the environment to shake your head and tut but its a lot harder to effect the change when you are living amongst it and I think its brilliant that fans who ally with both Celtic and Rangers amongst are own fans can be as one without the division becoming a barrier so Follow Follow or Hail Hail whatever floats your boat but YNWA to one and all

[Gods back]

Great post Bob.So true but at the same time Celtic fans are not angels which the media portray them as.Watch any away game that there involved in and all the republican/ira songs start.

Anyway my interest in the Gers comes via my Granda who was a big fan most of his life.I always looked out for there results and liked to see them do well,even though i was being raised a red due to my dad and uncle.I started to take a real interest when Souness went there as manager,and now i try to get to 1/2 games a season.

It is all about the religious thing to 50% of people this side of the water though.No matter where you are you"ll see kids out dressed in Rangers/Celtic gear,and at the end of the day neither they or their parents who bought them could name the last starting 11 for either side.

There are a lot of genuine fans here as well though,i know lads who ever miss a game at Ibrox and some who never miss a game full stop,no matter where its played.

But as ive said the Reds are and always will be my first love!

PS Hope this helps Tom!

[WaltonRed]

Just for the record If I had to pick im a ger.

That was due to the team they had when I was little and my best mate is Celtic so i went with them to wind him up.

Its all plums though.

[bobhorse]

Originally Posted by Gods back

Great post Bob.So true but at the same time Celtic fans are not angels which the media portray them as.Watch any away game that there involved in and all the republican/ira songs start.

Anyway my interest in the Gers comes via my Granda who was a big fan most of his life.I always looked out for there results and liked to see them do well,even though i was being raised a red due to my dad and uncle.I started to take a real interest when Souness went there as manager,and now i try to get to 1/2 games a season.

It is all about the religious thing to 50% of people this side of the water though.No matter where you are you"ll see kids out dressed in Rangers/Celtic gear,and at the end of the day neither they or their parents who bought them could name the last starting 11 for either side.

There are a lot of genuine fans here as well though,i know lads who ever miss a game at Ibrox and some who never miss a game full stop,no matter where its played.

But as ive said the Reds are and always will be my first love!

PS Hope this helps Tom!

Sorry If my post read that it was only Rangers Fans that where bitter that wasn’t what i was getting at
I was just relating my experience with both sets of fans at games I have attended
I am not that bothered about the songs that either set of fans sing after all they are only to wind the other lot up at the end of the day, and are no different to the Gary Neville songs etc down here, which are sung for the same effect.
It was just that on the one occasion i witnessed open hatred to others who they didn’t know just because of religion

That might be unfair as Priests and Nuns are a lot more easy to spot about the city than members of the Grand Orange Order and I’m sure if the Celtic fans had have seen a said member in top hat and Sash they would have been equally as bitter as there opposite numbers

But as i said great strides are being made and i remember the days when the chants of you black bastard could be heard every Saturday at football grounds around this country and we have been educated into a better mindset than then and it is very rear to hear any of that now and we all long for the day when all prejudices vanish from are grounds

[RAOScotland]

Reading some of the posts on this forum its good to see what people outside of Scotland think about the Old Firm. As I stay in Scotland, I've been to both stadiums for various games, Celtic Park was a pleasure to take my boy to but I would never take my son to Ibrox again. some of the vile that came out of their supporters mouth really annoyed me. I think it was publicised recently in Barcelona when Rangers played them in the Champions League, one of their newspapers printed a big story saying how they are not welcome back to Barcelona after urinating on one of their statues which is probably the equivalent of pissing on the Bill Shankley statue and in general behaving like animals.
I'm not saying Celtic fans are innocent either. I know that they have their idiots like every support does, however, believe me when I tell you they are no where near as bad as the Rangers fans

[Joe Strummer]

Top of the league!!

The pressure is on Gers!