BY LEE CLARK
Like many other Gers fans, I cut a frustrated figure last night. Watching us spurn chance after chance (sorry, sitter after sitter) was a tough watch, even if I was delighted to get away with the three points. It was a game we could’ve won by eight and, in the end were possibly fortunate not to drop points, courtesy of the only Michael Beale signing that has consistently performed to a high level (up to this point). The message board was in a similar mood last night and I don’t blame anyone but, in the cold light of day, if you’d told me we would go to Tynecastle with this group of players, dominate most of the game, having 22 shots on goal in the process and come away with a victory, I think I would’ve taken that. Of course, there is devil in the detail with that sort of spin. Our finishing was woeful and we’ve picked up yet another injury to a key player but, all in all I’m happy with the result, albeit a little annoyed that we didn’t absolutely hammer them. No, the real gripe about last night for many Bluenoses, is for much more selfish reason; the fact they weren’t there!
It’s a debate that rears its head every couple of months on FollowFollow.com, usually ending with petty name calling and squabbling, as people queue up to tell each other why they are a better Rangers fan than someone else, because they happen to hold a particular view on this subject. This is the thing, the debate always descends into the Old Firm allocations where passions are understandably at Fever Pitch levels but, this was becoming an issue long before we decided to cut Celtic’s numbers in Steven Gerrard’s first season in charge (with them following suit soon after). With Hearts the latest club to slash away fans at their ground, and RSC’s having to resort to cars, people-carriers and mini-buses, now seems as good a time as any to bring it up again
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I’ll say straight from the off, that I’m coming at this as someone who travels home, away and abroad to watch the team. It’s something I’ve always done, with varying degrees of regularity since the 80’s so, I’m well aware that my opinion with be skewed somewhat by that. I also don’t wish for this to get into another Old Firm allocation argument with anyone, I’m looking at this as a whole and the knock-on effect it’s having within our own support.
In theory I don’t have a huge issue with what Hearts have done this season. Their stadium, their rules, I completely understand that and the reasoning is sound enough too, in that they have sold a big number of season tickets as well as facing ‘huge demand’ for game-by-game ticket sales (their words, not mine) but, when you see the empty seats scattered all over the stadium (with one very noticeable block of empty seats in the traditional away end); a ridiculous number of seats given up for segregation; as well as an official attendance that was well short of the stadium capacity, it does make me wonder how ‘sound’ a decision this has prove nto be? In fact a quick look online shows Hearts have had a good number of empty seats at most of their home games this season so it begs the question;
Why is Scottish Football continuing to lock fans out of games and turning away some much needed revenue?
Is it bitterness or do these Clubs think they have more loyal punters than they actually do? I think from Hearts point of view the former certainly can’t be thrown at them, given they have taken this stance with every team in the league (apart from Hibernian, who still occupy the full Roseburn stand on their visits) but, can the same be said for everyone?
By my reckoning we now have a top league where Aberdeen, Dundee, Kilmarnock, Motherwell, St Mirren, Hearts, Hibs (when it suits them) Rangers and Celtic have all dramatically cut away allocations over the past decade or so. Have home fans attending these Clubs really increased that much to justify such a move? With Us and Them, attendances remain very high but, for the rest? I think we all know the answer to that, in fact in some cases they have actually gone down. St Mirren, in particular seemed to take this lunacy to a whole new level when they decided to cut a full stand for the visits of Rangers and Celtic this season. ‘Good on them’ was the cry from many quarters without giving a second thought as to where the shortfall would be made up. In fact, St Mirren decided to ask their own fans to cough up the cost of an empty seat (£30) to balance this. Only in Scotland would we be so small minded as to actually pay for people NOT to attend a game, that is already in a league being left behind the rest of Europe at an alarming rate both on a sporting and commercial level.
Please also spare me the excuse that this has been done on the grounds of denying the away team a ‘sporting advantage’. Livingston, the worst supported club in the league, regularly hand over huge allocations to both sides of the Old Firm as well as Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen and it certainly hasn’t done them any harm the past few years. Despite them sitting second bottom this season, Livingston have punched well above their weight and it has been a very difficult place to go and get a result for both ourselves and Celtic recently. Furthermore I’ve been in the away end at both Tynecastle and Easter Road, in amongst a full stand of Bears, as we got absolutely gubbed on the park.
All that being said, I think Rangers have played a part in this situation we find ourselves in. We decided a few seasons ago that all away fans would be limited to just 800 and at the time, I fully understood it. Many clubs didn’t just take great delight in our demotion down the leagues but, there was very much a ‘kick them whilst they are down’ feel to it. Some of our fans decided there and then that they would never set foot inside another stadium outside of Ibrox, and the club decided to support those who were supporting them. Absolutely no problem there and with unprecedented demand for Season Tickets and game-by-game sales through the roof, it made complete sense but, I do wonder if it’s time for the cub to re-think it’s stance on this? Is the demand for tickets at Ibrox quite as fierce as it was? Barring Leipzig, Liverpool and a couple of Celtic games how may games have truly been out of reach recently? Our crucial CL qualifier against PSV was a good 2000 under capacity this season and the Celtic game at the end of last season is the easiest I’ve seen in years for picking up a spare.
Before anyone loses the plot, I’m not for a second advocating that we go back to giving Celtic the full stand again, nor would I ‘rather stand listening to IRA chants, so that I can get a ticket for Parkhead’. That isn’t my motivation here, there are Rangers season ticket holders in that stand who stepped up, when no one else would and for me it would be a disgraceful move. I do believe there is room for negotiation however. People will accuse me of being selfish, that I don’t care about some Rangers fans and the inconvenience it would cause them but, I’m trying to find a compromise for ALL Rangers fans, including our away support and RSC’s who seem to have been forgotten about throughout all of this, in fact I’ve seen quite a bit of sneering and vitriol directed their way on the website, and all because they want to follow the team, I really can’t fathom that.
Ask any regular away game traveller or anyone that runs a RSC and they will tell you how dire the situation is becoming and how truly awful the atmosphere at games is now. Even Christophe Berra, who is Hearts through and through, was bemoaning how poor it was at Tynecastle last night, a ground that is regularly said to have one of the best atmosphere in our league. Of course that can be attributed to what the fans are seeing on the pitch but, it’s an all too familiar complaint and the lack of away fans at games is massively contributing to it. To put it into context, the bus I travel on managed to take a full bus to Aberdeen recently. Sounds great right? Only issue is it was shared by SIX different RSC’s, who were all able to run their own buses to these fixtures in the past. I completely appreciate the demand for our away games has massively increased but, I do wonder if there is some wiggle room? Putting Celtic aside I know for a fact Hearts, Hibs and Aberdeen have all asked for at least double the allocation they currently receive for Ibrox.
Perhaps if the club were proactive about this, it would see a bit of compromise reached with other clubs but, that journey home from Aberdeen told it’s own story. Some of our buses were lucky if they were a quarter full and knowing how much costs have risen in recent years, I do genuinely worry for the future of some RSC’s if things continue as they are. That to me, would be a real shame given the long and proud tradition of our away following but, more than that, it’s just complete lunacy that fans are being locked out, only to watch the game on TV and see swathes of empty seats.
Lee Clark