Where Were You?

 

 

Where Were You?

It’s the day I will remember until I die.

That feeling, that pit in my stomach when I scrolled through my phone to read what was happening, and it felt like several punches to the gut.

“Rangers to go into administration”

I will never forget the feeling, and it signalled the start of a year that took me to places I never thought football could. It is something so acutely difficult to describe to someone not involved with the club – someone who hasn’t been through such a process with their team simply cannot understand it.

Remember those days where football was kicking a ball around in your nearest park until dark? Remember when it was just about watching 22 men on the pitch? The bragging rights belonged to the best team on the pitch, and you lauded it for all it was worth. The bragging rights didn’t belong to the financially strongest; no off-field politics were involved. There was no gut-wrenching feeling of pain when you would feel the club close to your heart could be close to going to the wall.

Beyond personal feeling, there was the fear for those involved with the club itself – job losses and cuts. I always made sure that this stayed prominent in my mind, as although the immediate fear was for the club I’d supported for as long as I’d watched football, there was a human element involved, and it was something that caught in my throat when I saw people having a laugh at the situation; the complete disregard for those who might be out of a job. It certainly wasn’t the normal reaction to a company going into administration, but not exactly unexpected.

Although I remember the moment I found out the information vividly, it all becomes a bit of a blur after that. The rumours. The owner appearing at the door of Ibrox to give a statement before slithering back into his hole and he would rarely be seen again. The appointing of the administrators – the rush to beat HMRC to get our own administrators in. That Duff and Phelps press conference. The first sniff from Paul Murray and co. as they propped their heads up. It was always difficult to grasp what was truly going on, and as more information came out, the more it was exposed as to what a mess the situation was, and the more nauseating it became. It wasn’t long before it became clear the way the club had been pillaged and raped, and it was sickening to try and comprehend. 

A year on, and the main lesson this scenario has taught me is to never take anything in football for granted again. For as long as I’ve supported Rangers, they had been coasting along at the top – the only care in the world being the years we finished second in the league. The harsh realities that have been learned from this scenario will never be forgotten, as it has left the club in a place they never thought they’d be. A year on, the club is still trying to piece itself together, but one thing that has changed is priorities. European football and Old Firm victories are all but a distant memory – most are still just happy they have a club to support. It is a poignant reality, but in many ways it serves as a good reminder for what we are all about. 

Away from the off field song and dance that continues to this day, Rangers have returned to shades of their humble beginnings as they tour the country backed by fans who are there just to watch a game of football – the cucumber sandwiches in Europe replaced for terracing at East Stirling. It’s not attractive or enthralling for the average punter, but it much more resembles the game of football we all know and love. As for the home games, the fans have shown tremendous support, consistently turning up at games with crowds of more than 45,000. They are not there to see world-beaters strut their stuff; they are there simply because the name on the scoreboard is “Rangers” – still the only show in town for the loyal support. 

The club can start to move on from the scenario, but we can never forget the lessons we learned from it. The feelings no football fan should ever have to experience, and what we are left with now. The club is in the lowest point of its history in footballing terms right now, but for me, the way in which the fans have rallied around regardless of this shows loyalty that will be told as folklore of the club. Won’t it be great to tell family in years to come, that when Rangers started their Third Division campaign at home to East Stirling in front of 49,000 you were there? Or how about the day that 10,000 ‘Gers marched to Hampden?

And won’t it just be great to tell the tale of how we came out the other side?

As for the title of the piece, “Where Were You?” it’s undoubted that this will be one of those moments in years to come, when someone asks, “Where were you when you heard Rangers were going into administration?”. Quite honestly, I was on a bus down the Paisley Road West and I could see Ibrox in the background. The same route I’ve taken to a game since I was 6. However, this didn’t feel like football anymore. This felt like something completely different.

Never forget, and never again.