Rangers, the Glasgow football club, has had a torrid couple of seasons off the pitch, culminating in a spectacular implosion that forced it into administration in February.
In a lengthy blog post today, Channel 4 reporter Alex Thomson highlights a particularly disturbing aspect of the ongoing disaster: what he describes as a campaign of intimidation by Rangers fans aimed at those who have challenged the stricken club.
Although more a summary than an independent investigation, Thomson does a powerful job of explaining the underbelly of Scottish football – and he reveals the culture of threats ‘is getting worse’.
Thomson has personal experience of his subject: he wrote the foreword to Downfall, so far the only book on the crisis, and was, he says, rewarded with a barrage of abuse.
Downfall’s publisher, Frontline Noir, describes ‘pressure applied’ to discourage shops from stocking the title – while some stockists have reported fans screaming at staff for stocking copies according to Thomson.
And in a spectacular reverse ferret, the Sun announced and then cancelled a serialisation of Downfall, faced with complaints and threats considered so serious the police were called in.
This isn’t the only recent incident that has required police attention.
The head of the Scottish Football Association, Stewart Regan, consulted counterterrorism police after he claimed he had received death threats from diehard Rangers fans. Other Scottish Football Association directors had their addresses published online.
The three members of a tribunal that slammed Rangers for ‘bringing the game into disrepute’ also saw their addresses published, and again the police were brought in to advise them on security.
All of this casts the media reporting that has taken place - at both national and local level, in the business and sports sections – in a new light.
Thomson’s own reporting has included revealing a network of offshore transactions that brought the club to the taxman’s attention. And the wheelings and dealings of majority shareholder Craig Whyte have come under forensic attention from Thomson, Private Eye’s financial maven City Slicker, and others.
The NUJ Scotland is aware of 25 journalists who have ‘been threatened for telling the truth about Rangers’, Thomson says – and he wryly admits he has become used to the abuse himself. For local reporters, the threats may be far more plausible.
And even for a national reporter, writing a post like today’s takes courage. Little of what he reveals will surprise anyone in Glasgow, Thomson points out – yet from the outside this is an attack on freedom of speech so drastic that you would hardly believe it could exist in modern-day Britain.
Read Threats and silence: the intimidation by Rangers fans
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October 12th, 2012 at 8:42 pm (#)
Get ready for a front row seat at what Thomson’s described – once the ‘radical’ element of the Rangers support get wind of this site.
October 12th, 2012 at 10:03 pm (#)
Thank you for picking this up.
For reasons which are obvious in the body of Alex Thomson’s piece, it seems that no media outlet in Scotland is willing to expose the behaviour of followers of the “establishmrnt club”.
It can be noted that the book mentioned: “Downfall” has not been reviewed in a single Scottish newspaper despite finding itself high on bestseller lists. Why not? See above.
October 13th, 2012 at 9:13 am (#)
The underbelly of scottish football? More like the everyday behaviour of the exrangers club,players and fans.
A disgrace of a club. And may it rot in hell.
October 13th, 2012 at 10:52 am (#)
.This response completely dismantles Thomson:
http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/current-affairs/174-threats-damned-threats-and-lies-a-response-to-alex-thomson
(Editor’s note: this comment was moderated as it breached house rules)
October 13th, 2012 at 8:04 pm (#)
Who to believe? The Chief Reporter and award winning war correspondent of a national UK TV station (C4), or a Rangers fans website? Hmm, what a quandry.
AYE RIGHT!
October 13th, 2012 at 8:28 pm (#)
Wullie no-brain at it again!
Everybody else is to blame. Will it take the liquidation of the Newco before it sinks in that he and his ilk have had their century of vile sectarian hate. Now that the light of truth is beginning to penetrate the no surrender monkeys must realise that their time has past.
October 13th, 2012 at 8:37 pm (#)
The Scottish press with very few exceptions have a very pro Rangers agenda. It’s great to see sites like this publish the truth about a large element within the new clubs support.
October 13th, 2012 at 9:06 pm (#)
Written by a discredited man for a sectarian cabal of haters. The Rangers support and Unionist people will rise and take on the enemies of our nation – you can be assured of that. The days of dignified silence to the sectarian minority are over, you had better get used to this.
(Editor’s note: part of this message was redacted as it broke house rules).
October 13th, 2012 at 9:41 pm (#)
So Wullie, it’s all lies? Everything has been made up to paint the Rangers supporters in a bad light?
It makes a change from the usual “Chelsea supporters did it and ran away” excuse I suppose.
October 13th, 2012 at 9:50 pm (#)
Except it doesn’t, Wullie.
Whoever wrote that piece has had their head stuck in the sand for the past six months. It is so far from the truth that Thomson is completely vindicated. If anything, he is too KIND to Rangers and their followers.
October 13th, 2012 at 11:26 pm (#)
Whilst I’m sure you’ll not publish this, I felt I had to try & console you. You are obviously hurting badly. Rangers are still here, and despite your bizarre rantings, this situation shall continue. No matter how obsessed & hate-filled you people are, in your incessant rantings about a football club you don’t even support, you will find that the Rangers supporters love for our club surpasses your obsessive hatred. I personally don’t mind it, as the hatred will eat you up inside and eventually destroy you.
Rangers fans, like myself, will just laugh at your obvious pain.
Now……if you re-arrange all the letters I have typed, I’m sure you will find they make up a death threat aimed at Alex Thomson.
We are the people. Thats just how it is.
October 13th, 2012 at 11:28 pm (#)
Did you see the replies Thomson received ? Or the replies an Aberdeen player received for tweeting about a horse named No Poppy.
Start a new Rangers free of all this bigotry and gain some respect. Sign a couple of Irish Players for the first team. The scum wont follow that.
October 14th, 2012 at 12:23 am (#)
Lets not forget this vile bunch also sent parcel BOMBS to Neil Lennon and two high profile Celtic fans as well as bullets in the post to Neil & 2 Celtic players., Paddy McCourt and Niall McGinn.
October 14th, 2012 at 12:39 am (#)
Having been on the receiving end of threatening emails (which have been passed on to the NUJ legal department), I see I’m mentioned again the piece linked above. And in classic anti-Irish hyperbole (I don’t hate the Poppy, I just won’t wear something that commemorates people who shot at my great-grandfather and his brothers in 1916 – if others want to wear it, that’s their choice).
October 14th, 2012 at 1:18 am (#)
The RST blog Alex Thomson has said on twitter how he finds it laughable,he has facts and has said he would like to do a piece maybe with tom English about the facts,not the rumours,actual facts and the RST blog says nothing about Alex Thomson as a journo,1of his threats came from XXXXXXXXX,a man who constantly warps on about CFC,Phil and anyone else he can and he received a £1000 fine and a ban so i don’t think he was lying about that 1 or anything,the man is telling the facts,simple and they can’t handle it so give him abuse constantly on twitter and elsewhere but it only makes his resolve all the more harder to get the true facts out there,it will be ppl like Alex and Phil who will be remembered for their actions now and they repor the truth without fear or favour,unlike the MSM in Scotland.
(editors note: part of this message was redacted for breaching house rules)
October 14th, 2012 at 10:48 am (#)
Colin S, the chap who received the NUJ ban and £1000 fine is Willhelm above, he off course said he resigned but everyone reckons he just couldn’t afford the fine……lol
also interesting to note the zombie fans comments are getting moderated rather a lot, they just cant contain their own hatred and vileness, soon Chucky Green and SEVCO will financially implode, OLDCO will be gone, both clubs history in tatters and they all sat back and did nothing about it.
they only have themselves to blame, but still they criticise, bully and harass others, in fact, check Alex Thompsons Tweets, since his article, the one they so vehemently deny, he has been threatened, unbelievable stuff.
October 14th, 2012 at 12:36 pm (#)
It is very hard to have a valid discussion on the situation that happened to Rangers, or the current ongoing situation.
I’ve yet to read a valid response from any Rangers group that doesn’t descend into complete bile and completely irrevant nonsense.
Mr Green has done nothing but stir up all the bigots and play up to the gullible part of the support.
If the people involved could actually admit to all the clear wrongdoings, if they would draw their necks in a bit and stop all this bitter “everyone is against us” whilst making a huge effort to antagonise the people who are upset, maybe things could move forward.
It really is a truely astonishing situation when you have so many people who are so dilluded, even if you proved 100000000% they were in the wrong, they would argue for the sake or arguing with their argument being just a series of irrelevant acronyms and vicious bile.
The world would be a far better place if the reformed Rangers would dissapear from this world. Or at best down to the scale of the 80s when they only had a few thousand turning up to games.
It would be great to read a phycological review of Rangers fans.
If you ever read sites such as Rangers Media, the level of stupidity and internal anger is embarrassing.
If they can’t get on with their fellow supporters, how can they expect their behaviour to transfer to the big world?
It doesn’t for obvious reasons…..
October 14th, 2012 at 5:12 pm (#)
Don’t expect any change any time soon among the knuckledraggers.
They have been brought up on a diet of anti-Irish racism and anti-Catholic bigotry. They are glad to lap up Green’s promises although only the most deluded among them actually believe them.
The good thing is that they will like their club will become extinct.
October 14th, 2012 at 8:41 pm (#)
Most of the decent Rangers fans gave up football when their club ceased to be an active football club during the summer.
They recognised that the club founded by Charles Green on the 29th of May 2012, under the name Sevco Scotland Ltd., was merely a vehicle for him to dupe fans of Rangers who found themselves without a club into believing that the club he founded in 2012, was in fact the club founded in 1872.
He has pandered to their mindset, has stirred up trouble, and perhaps most worryingly, has appealed to the most extreme elements of the now defunct Rangers FC (IA) support.
Decent fans of the now gone Rangers FC (IA) want nothing to do with Mr Green and the ‘The Rangers FC’ he has set up in order to con money from extremists.
October 14th, 2012 at 10:57 pm (#)
The Rangers supporters,club and all associated with it suffer from collective Narcissitic personality Disorder . In its mildest form [ie 5 out of the 9 criteria reqiured to meet diagnosis] explains their arrogance, grandiosity, lack of empathy and exceesive need for admiration/praise and exploitation of others but at the more extreme end of the scale they can be dangerous and even homocidal as evdenced by many high profile cases of narcistic rage.This explains the bombs bullets and intimidation. Sadly narcissism is almost untreatable and spouses and partners of narcissists are advised to escape their abusive relationships.The analogy is a good one and the rest of Scottish football would be best to completely escape before its too late.You have been warned.
October 14th, 2012 at 11:30 pm (#)
Rangers supporters are all suffering en masse from narcissistic personality disorder. This expains the extreme arrogance,grandiosity,lack of empathy,need for admiration and exploitation of others. They truly are a dangerous and sick breed and extremely dangerous if driven to narcisssistic rage as as evidenced by the bombs and bullets in the post.
October 15th, 2012 at 6:35 am (#)
Marky,
Err Rangers already have some Irish players in the first team. Andy Little, Paul hegarty and Dean Shiels!
October 15th, 2012 at 12:12 pm (#)
The current CEO of Rangers Charles Green came to Glasgow back in May when he was trying to buy the assets of the club from the administrator. Such was the threat level against him that he had to move every night from safe house to safe house so that he could avoid the anger and violence directed at him by Rangers fans.
He declared this openly and it was widely covered in all of the Scottish media at the time.
Collyer Bristow Solicitors currently involved in litigation over Rangers released a press statement in April this year saying that partner Craig Withey
was receiving death threats from irate Rangers supporters and went to ground to shield his family from the worst of it.
This is the reality of life in Scotland if you cross the Rangers path and don’t bow to their intimidation – then violence soon follows.
Both the situations I have outlined are hardly from people who would normally be tagged as the ‘enemy’ by the sectarian element of the Rangers support and that is why they are important in trying to assess where the truth lies so to speak.
October 15th, 2012 at 1:21 pm (#)
I think this guy Thomson is the guy who has made various complaints and following investigation by Authorities his “claims” were completely dismissed. There is quite a good bit of information about this guy and his supposed revelations! Check him out.
October 15th, 2012 at 3:23 pm (#)
And now for some financial news….Rangers fans (those “monsters”) are responding to help save the financially and closure threatened Truro City FC in Cornwall.
http://www.thecoplandroad.org/2012/10/truro-city-common-tale.html
Alex Thomson? Some perspective is required folks….Tom English of the Scotsman writes negatively about Rangers and Charles Green all the time. Even Tom describes Alex Thomson claims as
– “indisputable truth mixed with exaggerated claptrap”
– “….he’s hamming it up, Intimidation is what NL got,. Cyber stick is very different”
– “some of it is hysterical, attention seeking nonsense”
So come on Alice, some balanced perspective please!!!
(Editor’s note: I’ve had a look at these Twitter comments and Tom English does not, in my opinion, have the same weight behind him as Alex Thomson. Alex is a very impartial and thoughtful journalist. To have included Tom’s comments into this article would have not resulted in greater balance. It would have just added an opposing voice. The two are not the same. For instance, a debate about diets does not immediately become balanced if you include the voice of someone with morbid obesity. You get balance with expert and backed-up opinion.)
October 15th, 2012 at 3:35 pm (#)
Oh dear where to start with this one. The only harassment with any evidence behind it was recently captured on file where the bold Mr Thompson harassed Kevin MacKenzie of the Sun in his own house, on his own private drive and whilst in his own car. All done in a manner that any 12 year old would have been proud off. Hardly the act of an so called professional.
Whist I have no doubt that some keyboard hardmen have given the twitter one liners, that hardly equates to a legitimate threat, particularly the open hostility and bigotry Rangers fans and the club have been subjected to by so called journalists.
Perhaps if Phil Macgillivan (or whatever pseudo nom he is using this week) didn’t write disgusting hate filled sectarian blogs, or Mr Thompson didnt find the Ibrox disaster and the loss of life a subject for ongoing very un-amusing comment only designed to wind supporters up maybe they would get the odd twitter response
As for real an present threat ask Hugh Dallas about his windows, Nacho Novo about the bullets, Neil McCann about his father being assaulted or Mo Johnson about not being able to come back into the country and maybe some of the real truth around who the dangerous bigots are may come out.
As for Rangers signing ROI players, they have tried, all have refused due to them being fearful what would happen to their family and loved ones as a result of the backlash from the their own country men.
Unfortunately badly researched and written pieces such as this do nothing but still the pot even further. Something i am sure the authors are only too happy to do.
October 15th, 2012 at 7:56 pm (#)
I will start to take Alex seriously when he starts telling the truth in his stories.
Strangely it seems that many of his stories are starting to be looked at and holes are appearing in many of them.
The claims that Waterstones were threatened and booked were pulled has shown to be false – confirmed by Waterstones themselves. The claim that he was set up in Libya is doubted by The Daily Telegrapgh. His ever changing “facts” about his first visit to Ibrox and the many different stands he claimed to have been in.
Strangely many of his “exclusives” on the Rangers story have been old and previously reported elsewhere – can we buy him a dictionary?
Moving on, lets list the threats from Celtc fans towards officials and the likes going back hiring private detectives to follow referees and causing the infamous referee strike. On the other hand, there isnt enough space.
I will take Alex seriously the day DFS stop having a sale.
(Editor: I have spoken to Alex and he welcomes criticism of sorts. To this end I will publish this comment whereas under normal circumstances I would not as I suspect its accuracy. I reiterate my belief – Alex is a trustworthy and engaging journalist.)
October 16th, 2012 at 5:39 pm (#)
As someone with a broad sympathy for the Bureau of Investigative Journalism I find many of the comments and the responses here deeply depressing.
Astronomers find a planet with 4 suns
CIA drone attacks in Pakistan
Corporate fraud et al
and yet, the largest amount of comments on this site comes from a story about football? That many of the comments have been hate-filled, and ironically, bigoted slurs on the Rangers support is unsurprising. You can almost set your watch to any news article on the club containing a deluge of these type of comments, with the de-humanizing propagandistic portrayals, and doubtless there are elements of the Rangers support who rush forward to confirm the caricature.
Nevertheless I think there is a fair accusation that the author of the piece lacks the balance and nuance required for a professional journalistic article, and there is evidence that Thomson’s own blog – which was uncritically regurgitated here – was also lacking in these attributes.
As Thomson writes; his ‘interest stems purely from the standpoint of it being a spectacular example of a corporate omnishambles.’ It seems strange then that rather than investigating for himself he seems to have copied on mass the opinions of Philip Mac Giolla Bhain. He, and the author of this piece, also seem to have omitted the fact that many newspapers and retail outlets have distanced their selves from Mac Giolla Bhain and his book due to his long history of hate filled bigotry towards Rangers supporters and his support for violent Irish Republicanism.
As Thomson himself admits regarding Philip Mac Giolla Bhain on one of his blogs: “He wishes to see Rangers FC obliterated as far as I can discern” and “He writes about Rangers’ downfall with undisguised glee and mirth”
Thomson again writes on the decision of The Sun to shelve the serialization: “The paper denied it was bowing to threats. Yet the publisher of the book says the threat of a Hillsborough-style boycott was real and instrumental.”
Well I for one think it is important to distinguish between a boycott and a threat. A boycott, in a free market, is a legitimate economic tool of collective protest. Liverpool supporters boycotted The Sun when it printed lies about its supporters. Is Thomson suggesting that this counts as a threat?
With regards to the claims that the book was hidden away by shops – this simply is not true, as I seen the book myself in many WH Smith outlets in Scotland. Not being of the censorious instinct, I did not complain or threaten but bypassed it, completely untroubled by it. The fact that it was not displayed prominently in many shops was not to do with some conspiracy of terror, which Thomson in an act of journalistic sensationalism describes, but due to the fact that it was not a high selling book. Of course, Thomson is being very cute with his words when he describes it as fast selling rather than best selling. Just out of interest how many books were included in the initial print run?
Thomson then writes: “In at least one store copies were ripped up. In another Glasgow shop an angry individual wearing a Union Jack repeatedly entered the bookshop to scream at staff to send the offending tome back to the publishers.”
Any evidence for this? Like which shop and was there any arrests made? Seems like the old caricatures surfacing again. Union Jack on the back? C’mon you had us going there for a minute! Certainly, both Waterstones and WH Smith HQ are seemingly unaware of any incident.
As for the editing on some of the comments on this website I am concerned it may be undertaken with someone with a censorious mind. Some of the comments read like something out of Stalin’s Russia.
The Editor writes:
“I’ve had a look at these Twitter comments and Tom English does not, in my opinion, have the same weight behind him as Alex Thomson. Alex is a very impartial and thoughtful journalist. To have included Tom’s comments into this article would have not resulted in greater balance. It would have just added an opposing voice. The two are not the same. For instance, a debate about diets does not immediately become balanced if you include the voice of someone with morbid obesity. You get balance with expert and backed-up opinion.”
I find it difficult to know where to start with this. Can the editor please explain why it is their opinion that Tom English does not carry the same weight as Alex Thomson? Is it a gut feeling, a hunch, or just the fact that they are friendly with Thomson? On matters of Scottish football, English is a respected journalist working for a Scottish daily broadsheet and the BBC. AS someone who has been critical of Rangers and this whole saga he has absolutely no reason to lie. I have great respect for Alex Thomson’s other works of journalism, on important matters, but I am afraid, if we are going to rely on arguments from authority,(something I am not in favour of but the ed here apparently is) when it comes to Scottish football isn’t it English who ‘carries the weight’?
Once again: “Editor: I have spoken to Alex and he welcomes criticism of sorts. To this end I will publish this comment whereas under normal circumstances I would not as I suspect its accuracy. I reiterate my belief – Alex is a trustworthy and engaging journalist.)”
Another sinister response to criticism of Thomson. The editor has allowed many other comments full of hyperbolic abuse of Rangers supporters yet any comments contrary to this conventional wisdom are not only admitted grudgingly but done only after they have been approved by Thomson. Is this any way for a free press to behave? Perhaps the author of this piece is too pally with Thomson. I can’t be sure but some of the responses look like this rather than being balanced investigative journalism.
I see that ‘The Bureau of Investigative Journalism’ is based at City University, London. I also note that the Professor of Journalism at City University, London, is Roy Greenslade, a journalist xxxxxx.
Perhaps for Northern Ireland we can extend this to Scottish football? ‘The Rangers story’ is a murky tail of corporate miss-governance, fraud and criminality. It is a serious story which deserves to be reported seriously. it is a great shame that instead of doing this good journalists such as Alex Thomson have allowed themselves to be dragged down to the petty and reptilian hatreds of Scottish football.
I don’t suppose this comment will be printed. I have been critical of both Alex Thomson, the author and City University’s Professor of Journalism. Understandably the author is impressionable but if this organisation is to be true to its aims, and in a time when objective truth appears to be fading from the world, it must be urged that they report this story with more nuance, balance and less uncritically.
(Editor’s note: I am happy to publish this.
I am not ‘pally’ with Alex Thomson. I have emailed him twice in 3 years. The only reason I emailed him recently was to make sure he wasn’t going to sue over comments posted here. The trouble isn’t editorial – it is the libel laws of this country. Anyone in journalism can tell you this. So if you attack Rangers fans as a group you don’t get sued. If you attack a person as an individual you can. As for Alex’s journalism – an editor’s response to a journalist has to be based on trust. Alex has consistently worked on award winning reports. It is a rare award ceremony in which he is not present. Clearly his peers rate him, so I am not alone in my opinion. I trust his journalism to be fair.
I cannot comment on Roy Greenslade and have had to redact the comments you made for the reasons I state above. I trust Mr Greenslade too, as it stands, but the reason I redact is simply that I don’t have to time to go to every person ever mentioned in comments for a right to reply. Alex was the main thrust of this article. Roy isn’t.
I personally agree with Mr Thomson’s reporting – I lived in Glasgow for a number of years as a journalist. When there I repeatedly pitched to my senior editorial bosses a story about sectarianism and football in Scotland. I have very much seen the ugly side of football-support in Scotland and agree with Alex that some Scottish journalists have failed to report on this because of some unstated and odd loyalty.
Your point about this article having the most comments is an interesting one. I wish more people were interested in matters such as Vodafone’s tax bill or High Frequency Trading’s impact on the markets. These things matter more to our quality life as a nation than football.
To this end, I am suspending more comments on this debate. Not to censor but because I don’t want to get dragged into a debate that will likely never be resolved with reason).
October 16th, 2012 at 8:20 pm (#)
Editor,
I am sure Alex is charming but is that your reason to allow someone not to challenge him? Incredible that you are questioning the validity of someone’s comment but generously allowing it in the comments. Let Alice respond to the genuine and real questions asked of Alex’s flimsy evidence. And whilst we are at it, I would question your editorial judgement when you have either completely ignored or completely missed the connection between DeLong, Greenslade, Mac Giolla Bhain and Thomson. This may help you.
http://www.therangersstandard.co.uk/index.php/articles/current-affairs/176-the-publicity-seeker-the-president-the-professor-and-phil
(Editor’s note: see my comments below please. Again, Alex Thomson is a trusted journalist. Of course I am “questioning the validity of someone’s comment but generously allowing it in the comments” – if it isn’t libellous or deeply offensive it will get published.)
October 17th, 2012 at 2:11 am (#)
I have yet to see an article critical of rfc where the comments do not include their famous whatabouterry? Is it possible for anyone connected with rfc or sevco to actually address the concerns or points raised without the typical “Them on the east side are worse look at them, not us”? The fact that a respected national jounalist , such as AT, has taken an interest in theri demise, should be a crumb of comfort but as always because he doesn’t toe the party line, all things blue are great, he has to content with the same bile and vitrol from the usual suspects? Due to rfc having preferential treatment throughout their entire existance, the more balbanced approach now being taking is, in their view, formed from bigotry or hatered? This is not the case, they are being pursued for indisscretions(being polite) and all the fan base can do is defelct, deny, and spout hatered and bile? Accept that wrong has been don, and if they want to claim they are the same club then they MUST take any punishment coming their way! AT and the NUJ are obviously a cfc cabal?? This is their mindset and unfortunately Charles Green, is being allowed to stri up their hatered and feelings of injustice, merely to sell shares?? Oh and on that, what are they buying shares in since this is merely a new corporate wrapper not the club???
October 17th, 2012 at 10:01 am (#)
Dear Editor
Are you saying that you will only publish comments Alex agrees to? Most of the posts appear to be ego stroking, therefore am I to conclude that critical posts were removed?
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism my a…
(Editor’s note: No – we published all comments. Just some are redacted because of the libel laws of this country, or they were just plain offensive. It is interesting how quickly people descend into nasty vitriol over a matter as benign as sport).