Dammit, Rangers …
By: Ian Rose | December 1st, 2007I know Inara already covered this in her Lyon blog, but I felt like I needed to make a slightly longer comment. For those that haven’t heard, Rangers have asked the SPL to postpone their match against Gretna three days before the key Champions League game with Lyon. Let’s parse out that sentence, shall we? Gretna. By far, the worst team in Scotland, with 5 points from 15 matches, and alone by nine points in last place. Rangers reserve team could beat Gretna on their worst day. Lyon. No disrespect to this team - they dominate French football and even if they are European underachievers, they are still a great club - but last time Rangers played them, the Scots tore them a new one in their own house, 3-0. All Gers need in this one is a home draw.
I wish I could say that this was a Rangers problem, but it’s not. It’s a Scottish problem. The SPL has a massive chip on its shoulder, and even the two teams that have the ability to compete at the highest levels in Europe, as both Celtic and Rangers do, don’t really believe that they can. That’s the root of all of the problems with Scottish football. It’s why we play more defensively than we have to … it’s why we play for draws when we could win … and now, it’s why we feel like we need a week off to prepare for a team we smothered the last time.
I sincerely want both Celtic and Rangers to do well. They might not be the clubs I support domestically, but they are the only two sides in Scotland with the finances to build Champions League knockout teams. Just as I support Aberdeen in the UEFA Cup, any Scottish side against any non-Scottish side has my support. But have some pride in yourselves. If you go into a match believing you need a handicap, you probably will. I hope the SPL denies the request, but given the precedent set last month, I doubt it. In any case, two draws will put two Scottish sides into the last 16 of the Champions League, and give us a better UEFA coefficient than last year. Move past this and perform on the pitch, and make Scottish fans proud to support you. But don’t whine about having to play Gretna three days before Lyon … especially when it forces me to agree with the French. (Just kidding, Inara).
Category: Rangers
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Ian, I’m doing a main page post for tomorrow on this issue with the point being that Scotland has the chance to gain the world’s respect this year yet seem intent on proving they don’t deserve it.
What’s the current state of Scotland in CL? I know Rangers go through with either a draw or a win. What about Celtic? Can they go through with a loss on goal differential, or do they need at least a draw?
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Celtic need a draw from their trip to the San Siro to be sure they get through. If Shakhtar loses, Celtic goes through regardless. If Shakhtar wins, they’ll be tied on points with Celtic and ahead on head-to-head. So, two draws and we have two teams in the CL. I have to admit, I’m cringing a little at the idea of another post from neutrals about the problems with Scottish football. The fact that it seems to come so often from the French fans on here makes me think it’s a lot of good intention mixed with a tiny bit of sour grapes about our good results against France. Just keep in mind the differences between the level of support for the French league and that for the Scottish one - it really is an entirely different world outside of the top five or six leagues. Still, I look forward to reading your bit on it.
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“The fact that it seems to come so often from the French fans on here makes me think it’s a lot of good intention mixed with a tiny bit of sour grapes about our good results against France.”
French fans = Inara.
Sorry if I’ve ever sounded condescending in my unsubtle anti-Rangers posts over at the OL Offside. I won’t deny it, it is a little of that sour grapes thing. Rangers (and by extension, Scotland) are very frustrating for us to play against because these teams known for their ability to outhustle and outmuscle us, and generally make our lives a living hell, all the while playing for a 0-0 draw. And yet somehow they walk away with a win.
But losing is part of the game. And as embarrassing as the loss to Rangers was, I’m grateful in a way because it really woke Lyon up from their coma and was a blessing in disguise. That loss revitalized the players, forced Alain Perrin to get a reality check, and solidified team spirit. A tough match builds more character than an easy one, and after that night, not only did the players step up, but the team came of age.
Speaking for myself, the reason for my annoyance with Rangers isn’t so much the loss as it is the style they display in Europe. I have always hated defensive football, and not just when it’s played by Rangers. For example, the worst loss for me last year was when Bordeaux defeated Lyon in the League Cup final. They held us off for 90 minutes by playing ten men behind the ball, and then they scored from a corner kick in the 93rd minute. That loss was EXTREMELY hard to digest. It still is. We felt cheated because Bordeaux didn’t try to play football against us. They just tried to prevent us from playing.
Lyon is an attacking team. We don’t know the first thing about playing for a draw, and anytime we’ve ever tried, we always lose. So that’s why we OL fans react so negatively when teams play 10 men behind the ball against us. For fans like me, who are used to seeing their teams attack from the first minute to the last, defensive football is anti-football.
I know Scottish footballing teams are the underdogs. And logically, if they want to win, they need to play to their strengths. And that in their own league, the games are more open and exciting (or so I hear). But my experience with Scottish football (and those of most other non-SPL fans) is pretty much from watching Scotland’s two main representatives in the CL, and from watching Scotland play against France and Italy. So that’s why for us Scottish football = defensive football = anti-football.
Rangers getting an entire week to prepare for a CL match doesn’t help public perception either, to be honest. It’s like giving someone a head start in a race.
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Honestly, Inara - it’s not just you I meant. I appreciate your argument and even agree with you on some points, like Rangers taking a week off to avoid Gretna being ridiculous. I was actually referring more to some of your commenters, who have less respect for Scotland and Scottish football than you do. I hope to see Scottish teams attack more too, because unlike you and Laurie, I watch Scottish football week in, week out, and I know for a fact that we have the ability to do it. We’re just so used to being underdogs that we don’t know what to do when we’re even or sometimes favorites. I really didn’t mean to call you out - though I think you’ve gone a bit far sometimes (you did say Scots “don’t play football” once), you have a few legitimate points and the Old Firm would do well to listen.
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I guess that comment of mine was rather bitter. It’s looking like France has a new rivalry now that the one with Italy is getting boring.
I would have preferred to see Scotland qualify for Euro 2008 actually. I’d enjoy knowing that Italy and England would be participating via satellite TV.
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Interesting little questionable factoid from Wikipedia — Scotland’s all-time record against France (national teams) is 8 wins, 0 draws, 7 losses. Over .500, which is shocking to me, even with the two wins this season. Those are certainly rivalry numbers. You’ll enjoy having a rivalry with us - Scots don’t tend to mix rivalry with hatred (unless it’s against each other) - We’ll get drunk with you after the match, regardless of who wins.
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At least we can come together as the two nations on Earth that most enjoy seeing the English fail.
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Oh wow, I had no idea that Scotland had such a good record against us. That’s rare for any country to have such a leg up on France (even Italy isn’t so much a rival to us as an annoying mosquito that’s just asking to be swatted - they actually have a poor record against us).
It would be great if Scotland could get through more qualification stages so that this France-Scotland rivalry can be pursued further (not that I’m actually French, but for footballing purposes let’s pretend I am).
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World Cup 2010 - See you there. France can do its part for Scotland by beating the stuffing out of Holland in Euro 2008, and leaving them demoralized going into the WC qualies. Either way, if Scotland can stay in second-seed territory, and if UEFA keeps insisting on putting all the logical one and two seeds in the same group, we should meet much more often from now on.
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It looks like Setanta is unhappy too.
http://sport.scotsman.com/football.cfm?id=1897342007
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