It’s simple really: where there’s trouble you can point fingers all over the place, but the people who act badly deserve the blame. To be fair, the situation is messy — policing, crowd control and club behaviour all have a part to play — but that can’t be an excuse for shrugging off responsibility.
Who takes the blame?
Read the papers and the fan groups, and you’ll see the same argument repeated — it’s everyone else’s fault except the people who actually caused the trouble. I don’t buy that. If a group of supporters decides to act up then the blame starts there. That doesn’t let anyone else off the hook, but truth is you can’t have accountability without naming the guilty party.
Clubs and authorities must do more
Clubs, police and the matchday authorities all need to be asking the same question: what are we doing to stop this? Rangers have reported they banned 548 fans over a 7 year period. That’s a number the club has put out themselves, and it’s worth looking at. Is that enough given what we keep reading about? From where I’m standing it doesn’t feel like it.
Silence from either club after an ugly weekend looks bad. If neither side speaks up you create a vacuum, and in that vacuum rumours and resentment fill the space. Public condemnation matters. Sanctions matter more — bans, stadium exclusions, and meaningful co-operation with the authorities to keep repeat troublemakers away from matches.
What needs to change?
We need a proper, consistent approach. That means clear, public action from clubs when their supporters step out of line and proper policing plans that don’t just react but prevent. Fans want to see leadership — statements that aren’t PR, and measures that actually reduce repeat offences. Until that happens, none of us can honestly say the problem’s being dealt with.
I’m not calling for witch-hunts, but nor should we shrug. Accountability starts with naming the problem and backing it up with action. That’s the only way we move on and keep football the sport we all want it to be.
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Rangers News Views offers daily Glasgow Rangers coverage including match reaction, transfer analysis, SPFL context, tactical breakdowns and opinion-led articles written by supporters for supporters.
