A mea culpa from the terraces

An apology from the terraces, after seeing UBs up close and hearing my son's account I’ve reconsidered their role in that pitch invasion. Messy outcome, but maybe fewer people got on the grass.

I owe Paul86 an apology. After being in Copland Front and then hearing my son’s eyewitness account from Govan Rear, I’ve changed my mind about what the Union Bears actually achieved that night.

What I saw

From my spot in Copland Front I watched a group of UBs go onto the grass and shout at people to join them. They weren’t subtle. To be fair, you could see the intent was confrontation rather than a measured attempt to protect the pitch.

What my son saw

He was in Govan Rear and had a clearer line of sight as the general chaos developed. He told me that when supporters were spilling into the playing area some Celtic players and members of their management group appeared to be encouraging people, taking selfies and not trying to stop the surge. That’s what he reported, not an official account, just his view from the terraces.

Why it matters

Crucially my son added that the presence of those UBs put a lot of Tims off coming the full way onto the grass. From where he was sitting it looked like the prospect of getting into a hand to hand scrap in the middle of the pitch was a big deterrent. I still don’t approve of pitch invasions or the UBs’ methods. But if their actions ended up preventing thousands more people rushing onto the turf, that’s a messy outcome to ponder.

It’s an awkward truth. You can disagree with who walked out or how they behaved and still accept that, sometimes, ugly interventions have unintended benefits. As a Rangers fan I’d rather none of it happened. I can accept that my earlier mockery of the idea that UBs partly held the line was wrong.

We should be honest about the wider picture too. The club, officials, police and fans all share responsibility for allowing a scene like that to develop. Fans on our side shouldn’t be celebrated for roughing things up, nor should the other side be excused if their staff encouraged it. I’ll stick by the simple thing: we want the players and stewards kept safe, and fewer scenes like that in future.

So Paul86, consider this my mea culpa. I mocked the notion before I had the full picture. After listening to my lad I can see why you said what you did. Lessons learned, and let’s hope for cleaner days at Ibrox.

Written by Once a Ranger always a Ranger: 9 April 2026