This blog was conceived after the Scottish Cup Final of 2004 when Celtic played Dunfermline. The idea was discussed in The Last Post pub in Paisley late at night as a means of allowing us to share news, opinions and post links of mutual interest. The date of the Final was 22 May.
Dear Rangers supporters- never come back to Barcelona again. And not because your players themselves aren’t a legitimate team. No, it’s not because of that- the Nou Camp frequently hosts teams who are lazy, boring, who only defend, who run and kick their opponents, and who shouldn’t be in elite competition. On top of this, Rangers merely defend, run at the opposition and play dirty. Their defenders are butchers, their midfielders, heavy-footed; and their strikers just stand there like the furniture.
But even apart from the footballing aspect, the best thing would be for Rangers never to return to Barcelona, because every time they do, they make a mess of the place. 35 years ago, you (the Rangers supporters) destroyed the seats at the Nou Camp. This time we have enjoyed no less than 48 hours of brawls, provocation, rackets, fights and common drunk women throughout the whole city, which you have fouled however you pleased.
Stay at home and vomit in your own living-room, urinate in your sitting-room corners, fight with your neighbours, the Celtic supporters (who deserve a prize just for putting up with you) and foul the streets of Glasgow instead. Don’t come back here again, because it is not a laughing matter. And, by extension, don’t play in the Champions’ League either. You are not at that level neither in a sporting nor human sense.
There are noisy groups of supporters who, although they drink vast amounts of beer, make friends at the same time. But you? Not you, because everywhere you go, you turn into a rubbish tip. You are undesirables. And so are those who fraudulently sell, or “rent out” their tickets. These people screw Barca over, because they trade their season tickets illegally. And in doing this they cause massive annoyance for other members of the club. A true Barcelona fan would not re-sell their ticket for the match. If you are not going to the match, give it to a family member, or you could even use the 'Seient Lliure' service (an automated ticket service used by some Spanish clubs including Barcelona).
From now on, the responsibility lies with UEFA and the club itself to ensure who the ticket is sold to. The best thing for all of us would be that you as a supporter, in a moment of lucidity, decide not to travel if you do not have tickets. As that is never going to happen, those who sell the tickets illegally must be brought to justice. But the best thing would be if we never had to play Rangers again.
This never quite made it into the Daily Record
ReplyDeletehttp://www.elmundodeportivo.es/web/gen/20071108/opinion_53409675639.htmlhttp://www.elmundodeportivo.es/web/gen/20071108/opinion_53409675639.html
Translation:
PLEASE, DON'T EVER COME BACK AGAIN
Dear Rangers supporters- never come back to Barcelona again. And not because your players themselves aren’t a legitimate team. No, it’s not because of that- the Nou Camp frequently hosts teams who are lazy, boring, who only defend, who run and kick their opponents, and who shouldn’t be in elite competition. On top of this, Rangers merely defend, run at the opposition and play dirty. Their defenders are butchers, their midfielders, heavy-footed; and their strikers just stand there like the furniture.
But even apart from the footballing aspect, the best thing would be for Rangers never to return to Barcelona, because every time they do, they make a mess of the place. 35 years ago, you (the Rangers supporters) destroyed the seats at the Nou Camp. This time we have enjoyed no less than 48 hours of brawls, provocation, rackets, fights and common drunk women throughout the whole city, which you have fouled however you pleased.
Stay at home and vomit in your own living-room, urinate in your sitting-room corners, fight with your neighbours, the Celtic supporters (who deserve a prize just for putting up with you) and foul the streets of Glasgow instead. Don’t come back here again, because it is not a laughing matter. And, by extension, don’t play in the Champions’ League either. You are not at that level neither in a sporting nor human sense.
There are noisy groups of supporters who, although they drink vast amounts of beer, make friends at the same time. But you? Not you, because everywhere you go, you turn into a rubbish tip. You are undesirables. And so are those who fraudulently sell, or “rent out” their tickets. These people screw Barca over, because they trade their season tickets illegally. And in doing this they cause massive annoyance for other members of the club. A true Barcelona fan would not re-sell their ticket for the match. If you are not going to the match, give it to a family member, or you could even use the 'Seient Lliure' service (an automated ticket service used by some Spanish clubs including Barcelona).
From now on, the responsibility lies with UEFA and the club itself to ensure who the ticket is sold to. The best thing for all of us would be that you as a supporter, in a moment of lucidity, decide not to travel if you do not have tickets. As that is never going to happen, those who sell the tickets illegally must be brought to justice. But the best thing would be if we never had to play Rangers again.