A new Fan Survey, conducted by Freesupertips and displayed by the Scottish Sun, has been released and Rangers (un)surprisingly come out pretty well.
The Ibrox club is regularly bashed from pillar to post and its supporters condemned, but the reality, as we all know, is very different indeed.
Its old news and not something we’ll get too hung up on. It’s also unlikely to change. But the statistics make for very interesting reading indeed.
The Fan Survey sought out supporters of clubs across the country and asks them their honest, anonymous assessments of life in their ground.
Whilst there’s nothing definitive here, the results do give an insight. It also has to be said that there is little information pertaining to the size of the study, or how it was even conducted. But we’ll go with it.
Many commentators in the media have a vociferous disliking to Rangers. Between calling supporters huns, the Klan, attacking the club’s identity and turning footballing discussions into political warfare, by-and-large the reality is in stark contrast.
4% of Gers fans have witness homophobic or racist abuse
For both home and away supporters, only 4% have witnessed racist or homophobic language from Rangers fans. That’s 4% too much, and 1% higher than Celtic. Both clubs rated 3% for homophobic abuse. For clarity this is lower than the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and a host of English clubs.
Fans across the UK did rate Rangers fifth overall for violence (3%) and for seeing supporters get arrested (3%). Again this is considerably lower than a host of English clubs.
But let’s be clear here, no-one is denying the minority of numpties who drag the club’s name through the mud. But what these stats tell us is that it is a tiny minority. It’s hardly scratching the surface.
To stereotype or condemn an entire fanbase based on the acts of a few reeks of desperation.
When an incident involving a Rangers fan happens, the message seems to be that the entire fanbase is to blame, that there’s an endemic, unstoppable propensity for crime amongst the support. The resultant opportunistic furore is pretty shameless in of itself.
When it happens to other clubs, it’s one lone idiot. A one-man band who doesn’t represent their club and who is collectively shamed. Not just by their club and their club’s fans, but the others too.
This refreshing fan survey helps to back up what we already knew. That the overwhelming majority of Rangers fans Follow with Pride. Even if some are desperate to claim otherwise.
