Newsgroups: rec.sport.soccer
From: J.M.Ross@man0507.wins.icl.co.uk (J.M.Ross)
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Subject: Re: Uniteds' principles
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 14:24:04 +0000







In article <1993Jan27.084025.3118@dct.ac.uk> mcsbc2gw@dct.ac.uk writes:

>FERGUSON : NOBODY DOES IT BETTER.

>Background stuff about Fergie and United deleted.

>Dundee United are not as big a club as Rangers but then, they've had
>over 110 years to compile their image since they were in at the start of
>the Scottish League and as such, have always been in the top division.

120 years actually.

>United meanwhile are relatively young(formed 1910 changed name in 1923) and
>we have had to scrape through some lean times, our 1st team had to
>play a season in the Scottish Reserve league at one stage due to lack of
>funds.

Not lack of funds, lack of a good team - they finished bottom of Division Two
and weren't re-elected.

>Rangers have never been poor financially,

Expect for the early 1880s when they nearly went out of business.

> but they are poor morally
>since the vast bulk of their support only support the team because they
>are strictly protestant and, before Mo Johnstones' brief stay, pursued a
>course of signing and playing protestant players.

Oh dear, you had to spoil an otherwise excellent article by bring religion
in to it. The vast bulk of Rangers support are there to see a good football
team winning trophies and have no interest in religious bigotry.

> Some Rangers fans will even
>travel from Dundee and the surrounding areas to watch Rangers play, strictly
>due to the fact that they are a protestant club. These fans are born and
>bred Dundonians but because of the image of Rangers, they would rather pay
>extra money just to see Rangers play. Celtic also have the
>same effect on Catholics, even at present when they are well below their best.

I'm all for people supporting their local team (meaning a team local to where
they were brought up, before anyone points out how far from Glasgow I currently
live). Sadly, not everyone shares that view, and are willing to travel long
distances to cheer on one the best in the land, that's up to them. Sure, some
of them will choose to see Rangers because of their protestant connections,
most, however, simply want to see the best.

>United have never had that burden but in 80 odd years of Scottish League
>membership

No? Why were they called Dundee Hibernian in the first place, and why did
they change their name? It was because the club was founded as an Irish
Catholic club, by the 1920's they wanted to attract a wider support so they
changed their name to breakaway from their Irish links.

>If most people in Scotland are affected by religous bigotry, then how
>can our refs be impartial when given the choice, they may favour one
>side more than the other. If these decisions were restricted to even one
>advantageous decisions to that side during every game(i.e. they score from
>the dispute) and this is multiplied by the number of home league games we
>play, it is easy to see that 20 odd points per season could be accumulated.
>It is easy to see that this maybe influential to a clubs' final league
>position.

This is just idle, malicious speculation. I'll tell you how refs can be
impartial, it's their job to be impartial. They make mistakes, and people
like you will always remember one bad decision which goes against you rather
than any good ones which you benefit from. If you think you can do a better
job than the refs then get of your backside and do something about it,
instead of slagging off people who've got the guts to go out and take the
abuse of thousands of people every week.

>Pele would weep if he saw the state of the game and
>the manner in which it is played in Scotland. It is like a war, it is after
>all only a game but some people would prefer it if it was a war.

I think Pele is weeping for the state of the game everywhere ...

>Being an Arab(i.e. Dundee United supporter) you may think this view
>is kind of baised and fellow Arabs may not agree with me but freedom of
>speech is central to a free society, if you don't like what I say or
>write, then thats' fine by me. I love constructive arguments but I cannot
>condone some of the language which has been directed at myself during my time
>on the r.s.s. newsgroup. As I say, Sticks and Stones may break my bones but
>names will never hurt me.

Let me dig out that article you posted the other day, how many times did you
use "f**k this" and "b*st*rd that" in it? Your entitled to air you opinions,
like everyone else, but please cut out the obscenities.

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