Q. Re. The (Not So) Loyal Bears

[Bluto10]

i was too young to remember the days of the 4 figure attendances in the old ibrox and but can anyone tell me the reason rangers had such low attendances in the late 70s and early 80s prior to ibrox being refurbished and souness pitching up?

 

i remember celtic went through something similar when they went to hampden in the mid 90s. but that was probably due to them being shit for nigh on a decade, and skint, and moving grounds.

 

i dont expect something quite so dramatic to happen this time to rangers, but i'm wondering if they are seriously off the pace of celtic for a few years how this will affect their home crowds.

[Dynamo]

They were shite weren't they?

[muttonhumper]

They were shite weren't they?

Simple as that.

[muttonhumper]

No glory = No fans

[Bluto10]

i'm pretty sure there's more to it than.

[The Boofon]

i'm pretty sure there's more to it than.

There isn't.

 

If they're not winning they don't go.

 

It is that simple.

 

However you pull any hun over the age of 35 about this and I guarantee they still went to the games. The 4000 crowd was actually 250,000 with the amount of guys who claimed they went when things were bad.

[Robbie Winters]

I remember that they won the treble in 77 and then a couple of more trophies just after that but quite simply another team appeared on the horizon capable of winning a trophy or 2, US !! So as Celtic kept bobbing along us & then Utd had a go and put them in their place. They rested on their laurels and had shit players like Colin McAdam & Gregor Stevens. Although they had Davie Cooper they never moved on.

Fergie exposed them and broke their spirit. They even took back Jock Wallace who had gave them that treble but I seem to remember after yet another 4-5 nil thrashing at Pittodrie they got restless and he was gone. Not until some rich family, their name elude's me, felt sorry for them and installed Souness with cash to burn did it change but ironically that looks like it was the beginning of the end.

Simply we were complicit in what caused that early 80's dis-loyalty and they have never liked us since.

[RUL]

Marlborough family

[Bluto10]

well how come they built a massive satdium if they'd been getting shit crowds for no reason other than being pish?

[Bluto10]

or was that partly the reason, having demolished stands ?

[Robbie Winters]

well how come they built a massive satdium if they'd been getting shit crowds for no reason other than being pish?

 

If you had ever been to Ibrox pre 1980 you would understand why, it was a bigger toilet than Hampden. Even though they did get some shit attendances they probably got some decent ones as well. They usually always got at least 3 decent games in Europe and played Celtic twice a season. Even when Aberdeen went I dont really remember a small crowd, was usually above 20-25k.

The Marlborough family (thanks RUL) were a building and property company and this was the early 80's when the actual cost of building new stands would have been quite cheap plus remember Govan has got a never ending supply of cheap labour to hod bricks around, they probably got grants as well from various sources

[Bluto10]

ah ok so it wasnt all sub 10k attendances then.

 

i know they had huge attendances prior to mid 70s. amongst the biggest ever, so that partly explains why they built a big stadium but just wondering why there was this severe dip.

 

maybe it was just as simple as lack of success.

[Robbie Winters]

ah ok so it wasnt all sub 10k attendances then.

 

i know they had huge attendances prior to mid 70s. amongst the biggest ever, so that partly explains why they built a big stadium but just wondering why there was this severe dip.

 

maybe it was just as simple as lack of success.

 

Also I think they also planned a new stadium after the Ibrox disaster and as we are finding out it took years to get something like that moving.

They just had a successful start to the 70's, got the planning done late 70's, started on building late,late 70's then Alex Ferguson arrived at Pittodrie = perfect conditions for dis-loyalty

[tup]

Then they win the league 9 years in a row and suddenly every bastard child up and down Scotland supports them.

 

Putting a Rangers top on your child is akin to giving it an AK-47 and strapping a bandana and suicide belt on at the back of it.

 

i.e. marks you out as vermin.

[RTYD]

i'm pretty sure there's more to it than.

 

 

Nope

[RTYD]

well how come they built a massive satdium if they'd been getting shit crowds for no reason other than being pish?

 

 

You don't have to believe us. It is because they were pish and not winning.

[strachanmcgheegoal]

Ask it in these 2 ways.

 

1/ How many times did we sell out todders 80-92. How many times have we done it since. Success = glory = fans. But continual success, especially if you can create a position whereby that ongoing success is protected, breeds fans. The 14 year old hun crying on the tele last night was genuine. Why, cos he's never known anything else and never asked himself why.

 

2/ Banking (pardon the pun) on guaranteed success is not a new thing. Arsenal essentially mortgaged their new stadium on continuing champions league group stage qualification. Its the real reason why they're struggling at the moment. Success is an upward spiral. Lack of success is a downward one and boy don't we know it. Thus for a small club that punched way above its weight to then find out that its downward spiral was lubricated partly by a competitors greed (I can live with as long as they have somebody to fund it, see Hearts thread) and dishonesty (guess who) is obviously going to stick in the throat somewhat.

 

Technical note - I know that was the fundamental basis of Arsenal's new stadium, if anyone wants to enlighten re ticketus type arrangements or whatever there's no arguements from me.

[tup]

To put it more simply for Bluto, and personalise it a wee bit for him.

 

If Man United stop winning, you'll no longer support them.

[strachanmcgheegoal]

Daddy, what is this old firm game they speak of?

 

Well, it was a bit like Meadowbank Thistle versus Third Lanark, just less likeable.

[tup]

Hibs and Hearts I imagine would import the vermin if the OF were obliterated.

 

They've got to support someone, their cousins in the East would be the obvious choice.

[Bluto10]

To put it more simply for Bluto, and personalise it a wee bit for him.

 

If Man United stop winning, you'll no longer support them.

 

 

close tup, but youre wrong again.

 

you're nae as bright as you think you are.

[Crossbow]

Hibs and Hearts I imagine would import the vermin if the OF were obliterated.

 

They've got to support someone, their cousins in the East would be the obvious choice.

 

If rangers were to really die (and sadly I don't think they will) whilst there would still be knuckledraggers spouting off their sectarian filth I genuinely believe there would be considerably less, on both sides of the "divide".

 

For society it would be a very good thing for the huns to disappear permanently - the same could be said for their green arse cheek in the east end of glasgow too.

 

Edinburgh is less supporting of such nonsense (though again it exists) and I think there would be less sectarianism as a result. It wouldn't simply transfer, a lot of it would die.

[Henry]

Airdrie would surely inherit a lot of the more 'traditional' huns.

[tup]

I used to work with Hibs fans, they had tickets for the Celtic game, 'canna lose ken' was their attitude.

 

They also insisted I must be 'one or the other' regards the whole divide pish.

 

I said I hate you all, but they couldna understand it, and in time honoured fashion simply thought I was a Proddie.

 

They also used to ask for a 'fenian discount' when we got a taxi home after a night out FFS.

[Bluto10]

Airdrie would surely inherit a lot of the more 'traditional' huns.

 

 

orkney will be full of them is it not?

bloody neanderthals up there.

[Bluto10]

I used to work with Hibs fans, they had tickets for the Celtic game, 'canna lose ken' was their attitude.

 

They also insisted I must be 'one or the other' regards the whole divide pish.

 

I said I hate you all, but they couldna understand it, and in time honoured fashion simply thought I was a Proddie.

 

They also used to ask for a 'fenian discount' when we got a taxi home after a night out FFS.

 

sounds like youre mates with scum.

 

didnt you give them one of your famous vitriolic blasts? all guns blazin.

[Crossbow]

Airdrie would surely inherit a lot of the more 'traditional' huns.

 

There are very few Airdrie fans who are not also RFC fans - it kind of goes with the territory - the few Albion Rovers fans that exist are enthusiastic fans of the green bigot brothers - Motherwell fans are in my experience far more balanced given their geography and hate both cheeks of the OF arse equally.

 

Airdrie unless heavily invested in would not provide the glory the majority of the knuckle draggers would crave. They do however have a nice ground.

[OddJob]

I'm not old enough to remember those days and even i knew the reason they had shit crowds was because they were winning fuck all. Only need to look at the Tims in the early 90's too

[Big Stall]

If they ever died, properly died and didnt come back, then their fans would be spread wide across the Scottish game.

 

Think about it, Rangers, due to the sectarian element, boast fans the length of the country. A Rangers fan living in Paisley might start following St Mirren, but equally, the Rangers fan in Carnoustie wouldn't fancy them. There will be some who will do what they should have been doing all along, i.e. supporting their local team.

 

Then there will be those who were only really fair weather fans, they enjoyed watching a winning team and when Rangers are gone they will have no interest in following a 'wee team'. These fans will stop attending football entirley, unless they are better off and choose an English team and make the trek downsouth every other week.

 

Rangers fans who thought they could take their brand of sectarian hatred into more family oriented clubs would be in for a big shock!

[Stoneybloke]

Marlborough family

Did they make fags?