This one is going to be a little bit different from Ibrox Noise, and is in honour of dear friend of the site and organisation, Gordie. We promised this for some considerable time, and have been sitting on this topic for many, many months. Indeed, this article was previously compiled during the latter stages of the Russell Martin era. We knew one day we’d be sitting here with what we have now. However, we’ve decided to scrap that one and start again, anew and afresh. The topic of this one is something different.
In simple terms, we are absolutely flummoxed and slightly enraged. If there is one thing Ibrox Noise hates, it’s wasting time. That is what Rangers have done so much of in the past few years, or indeed decade.
The Martin and Rohl syndrome
However, the specific aspect that infuriates Ibrox Noise so much is what we call the Russell Martin and Danny Rohl syndrome. That is to say, that when Danny Rohl and Russell Martin were in charge, fans were all in, backing these morons up, and giving abuse to those who didn’t. Now, in all fairness, this does not apply to all. Gordie, for example, was a gigantic Rohl fan. While this could cause antagonism now and again, there was never animosity or abuse. We can’t say that about the majority.
Standing against the appointments
Ibrox Noise was against the appointment of Russell Martin and Danny Rohl from the start. We were vocal about our protestations. In Martin’s case, the majority were with us until he actually signed. Then everyone got in line, quoted, “Oh, he’s here now, let’s back him,” and just got on with their day. Ibrox Noise refused to get in line with this, and we never supported Russell Martin. It all, of course, ended in absolute disaster, as we had, give or take, predicted.
Danny Rohl was exactly the same. Another EFL slop manager completely out of his depth, who wasn’t even first choice for the gig, and who’d been bribed to take the role. Rohl was a disaster of a signing. We have mentioned many times the lie that keeps on perpetuating about him taking us from bottom to top. He did no such thing. He took Rangers from 6th to 3rd and never progressed beyond that. Danny Rohl was a disgrace of a manager and a shocking human being who was totally out of his depth. He could not man manage and the true him came through in the final five fixtures. Not just the diabolical results, but the James Tavernier incident as well.
The abuse from fellow fans
Nevertheless, the real fury from us is the abuse that we took for a year and a half, if not more, for calling this nonsense out. As you will see, there is of course a gigantic paradigm shift on Ibrox Noise. We are all in with Derek McInnes. He is a great Rangers man. While we cannot guarantee that he will be a huge, huge success, because who can guarantee such a thing, he is the right man at the right time. Boy does it feel good. It is so good to have our Rangers back.
But that’s where the fury lies. Rangers fans en masse backed absolute nonsense regimes that did nothing but tear apart our club. Those same fans would slaughter other fans criticising this nonsense, criticising the diabolical changes and moves that the likes of Martin and Rohl were making. They would defend those moves, hipster backing it no matter what they did, defending every single action and abusing other fans who had their misgivings.
Rangers finally feel like Rangers again
Now Derek McInnes is here and the vast, vast majority are completely all in with him. But that only infuriates us because of the abuse that we took for wanting something like this. We wanted a Derek McInnes and a Rangers that felt like Rangers. No, instead we were abused. Gordie was not one of those, and many were indeed reasonable. But the majority were excruciating. They behaved poorly, they defended rubbish, they attacked those who were being critical, and it was totally intolerable.
We do understand backing the team. We get that. Backing the team and backing the manager and being a supporter. But abusing others for having valid criticisms about something that clearly is wrong isn’t the way of a Rangers fan. We hope a lot of Rangers fans who gave abuse to others for having concerns can look themselves in the mirror and have a clear conscience. If they can do that, then there’s nothing that we can say.
But if you were one of those who can hold those hands up and accept that you were wrong then that’s fine. You’re a true Rangers man or woman, and we all get it wrong from time to time. But there are those who will not back down. They were abusive, they were cruel, they were harsh. They accepted a slop Rangers that had nothing to do with our club, and they slaughtered anybody who wasn’t on board with that.
We now have something akin to our Rangers back. It feels way more like it should. But it should never have taken the crap that it took from certain fans to get there. We hope that they can sleep at night. But bygones be bygones? Well, you’d have to ask them.