Every time an off-field story pops up around Rangers, the same thing happens. The support splits, the temperature rises, and suddenly folk are speaking like they’ve got a perfect moral compass in their back pocket. Truth is, that compass points in all sorts of directions depending on who’s holding it.
One set of fans will demand a player is punted instantly for a drink-driving offence. Another set will say it’s serious, aye, but there’s a process and a punishment, and it shouldn’t automatically mean the end of their career. Neither side is totally mad. It’s just that we all draw our own line, and we’re not always consistent about it.
We pick and choose what we can live with
It’s hard to ignore how selective football fans can be. Some supporters were happy enough to argue for certain managerial options despite well-known controversies attached to them. At the same time, the same posters might be raging at a Rangers player for something that, in their eyes, crosses a bright red line.
And it’s not just managers. As a fanbase, we’ve brushed past plenty over the years when it suited the football argument. Folk defended Patterson breaking Covid rules because they wanted him in the team. Gazza still gets named in best Rangers XIs because, on pure ability and impact, he was box office. McCoist is adored because he gave us everything on the pitch. But those names also come with baggage that people either downplay or put in a separate mental drawer.
Why it hits differently for different people
The uncomfortable bit is this: we don’t all react the same because we don’t all come from the same place. Some fans have personal experience of certain situations, whether that’s through family, work, or just life, and it shapes what they can and can’t tolerate. If something has affected you directly, you’re not going to treat it like abstract “banter” or a talking point for a forum.
That’s why these debates can get so heated. It’s not really about points on the board or who’s starting at right-back. It’s about values, and values are personal.
Second chances, without pretending it’s nothing
There’s also the other side of it. We live in a society that, at least in principle, believes in punishment and then rehabilitation. People make serious mistakes. Some learn. Some don’t. The key is not waving it away like it doesn’t matter, but also not turning every mistake into a life sentence when the law and the club have their own processes.
The quote from John 8:7 lands for a reason: “Let him who is without sin amongst you, cast the first stone.” It doesn’t mean consequences don’t exist. It just means we might want to think twice before acting like we’re spotless ourselves.
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