Yesterday, I wrote of my immense frustration upon hearing that plans to show United’s European Cup final on the big screens had been cancelled, following the scenes of violence involving Rangers fans. The Scottish fans travelled to Manchester to watch their UEFA Cup Final which was being held at the Council House. After a technical hitch with the screen in Piccadilly Gardens, the Rangers fans kicked off.
“Manchester City Council, Trafford Council and Manchester United are working with Greater Manchester Police to identify suitable opportunities, given the necessary logistical demands to ensure security and safety, to appropriately celebrate United’s achievements this season. There will not be a parade immediately following the Uefa final next week but details are being discussed to organise an event which may take place during the summer.”
This is a fucking disgrace.
This is ridiculous! Sort it OUT Manchester
Buch of fucking animals, Delighted they lost
think you should sort out your own problems it was obvious that there was a lot of local yobs in amongst the fighting note the ones with no rangers scarfs on etc and i can tell u now there would have been none or very little rangers supporters without something
still dont see the problem not allowing man u fans to watch the screens or are they not telling us something
maybe their scared they make a balls of it again ??????????????????
Typical Rangers Fan blaming everyone else.
Scotland’s Shame (ie Rangers) has now become Britain’s Shame which should at lest please the unionist Rangers support.
A SOLDIER told how he came home unscathed from a mission in Afghanistan – only to be beaten up in Manchester.
And Gregor Moffat described some of the scenes in the city as worse than a war zone.
Gregor, 43, of Dunfermline, said he suffered more injuries at the hands of Manchester riot police than he picked up in battle patrol.
He said: “It felt like I’d swapped one war zone for another.
“The police attacked me with their truncheons as I was bending down to pick up my Rangers hat.
“I think they must have thought I was going for a bottle.
“I’ve got a badly bruised leg and arm where they hit me.”
Gregor, who serves with the Royal Logistics Corps, was among a group of fans who returned to Waverley Station in Edinburgh yesterday.
He said: “Manchester City Council have to take the majority of the blame for this.
“I think they bottled it because of the sheer numbers of Gers fans turning up and the rumour doing the rounds is that they deliberately turned off the big screen, as they couldn’t control the crowd.
“I’m not condoning the behaviour of some of our fans who clearly had too much to drink.
“It’s such a shame the whole trip was a bit shambolic.”
Other Rangers fans have reacted furiously to accusations they were responsible for the orgy of violence.
Fifteen officers were injured, plus a police dog, and 42 arrests were made as hundreds of riot police and fans fought running battles.
Supporters returning to Glasgow claimed bungles by police, council officials, transport chiefs and security guards sparked the mayhem.
Jobless Gordie Miller, 49, from Hamilton, went to the game with four pals, staying in Blackpool.
He said: “It took us four hours to get to Manchester. When we finally got there, we had a couple of pints and headed for the fan zone at Piccadilly Gardens.
“It was before the kick-off but the police already had the dogs out and they were barking and growling at us as we walked down.
“I threw a dog a bit of my fish supper and the policeman holding it said, ‘What are you doing, you f*****g w****r’.
“Things just went from bad to worse. We didn’t even get to see the game and ended up trying to get the train back to Blackpool.
“It was utter pandemonium. I can’t believe someone wasn’t killed.
“People were being brutalised. It was a complete disgrace. I am not defending a minority of Rangers fans who obviously did cause trouble but I think we were let down by everyone.”
Jason Stalker, 23, of Glasgow, said: “I think that the worst people there were the Rock Steady security guards who seemed intent on winding up fans.
“When trouble did start, the police were just beating people indiscriminately. Fans were terrified.”
Coach driver George Jamison, 36, of Derby, was at the game with his mum Jean Innes, 58, of Fort William.
He said: “The Manchester police were an absolute disgrace.
“They are complete b******s, in my eyes now. I was hit by a policeman with a baton and all I was doing was trying to get to my bus.
“I am part of the official Rangers Travel Club and I have never seen anything like it. Riot cops were letting dogs loose on the fans and hitting people.”
Arthur Harkin, 36, a crane driver from Bellshill, said: “The police and the Rock Steady security guards are to blame.
“The security guards were demanding cash from people to let them into a free fan zone.
“They were treating Rangers supporters like dirt and so were the police. In the end, they provoked too many people for trouble not to have started.”
Mum-of-one Frances Clelland, 47, of Blantyre, Lanarkshire, was with nine pals and ended up in Piccadilly Gardens.
She said: “They didn’t tell us until after the game had started that the big screen wasn’t working.
“The police had been hemming us in until then, not even letting us out to get to the toilet.
“People were being crushed and scuffles started breaking out between fans.
“I was terrified and the next thing I knew, there were riot police everywhere and the place just erupted.
“Fans who went down to watch this game were completely let down by the police and by the council in Manchester.
“If they had told us earlier that the big screen was broken, rather than after the game had started, we would have been in a position to get somewhere else in an orderly fashion.
“As it was, everyone was panicking and getting upset. Then the heavyhanded police moved in and really cranked up the violence.”
Handyman Dennis Herraghty, 40, a Rangers fan, of Darlington, County Durham, said: “The police caused this whole thing. It was a complete disgrace. I will never go back to Manchester again.
“The majority of Rangers fans were not causing trouble. They were terrified and trying to avoid trouble.
“I have never seen such brutality coming from police in all my life.”
HGV driver Neil Sherrington, 46, of Glasgow, was at the game.
He said: “I was on the streets before the trouble started. There was just no control over what was happening.
“A minority have caused trouble but bad organisation was definitely to blame for the way that things turned out.”
The dad-of-two added: “The police are saying that they did the best they could but they could have done a lot better if you ask me.”
John Skelton, 70, of Warrington, Cheshire, was in Manchester to go to the theatre.
He said: “I walked by thousands of Rangers fans and they caused no problems whatsoever.
“It is a shame pictures on the TV are making them all out to be thugs.”
Meanwhile, internet discussion forums and the Record’s website were yesterday inundated by Gers fans discussing the violence.
The majority of messages were from fans disgusted by Manchester police.
One message posted on the Record website said: “I cannot condone the actions of the Rangers fans in Manchester but I can understand how it all kicked off.
“Manchester was well warned that there was going to be a mass invasion from north of the Border and as such should have been better prepared.
“I was in Piccadilly Gardens from around one o’clock and the atmosphere was amazing, a real carnival, friendly atmosphere. There was banter between Rangers and Zenit fans that were mingling in the crowds together.
“No one can condone the actions by the Rangers support when it all started to go wrong.
“But surely a lot of the blame lies with the event organisers.
Dumb-ass bureaucracy!
my post says it all
“No one can condone the actions by the Rangers support when it all started to go wrong. – Trueblue
Judging by the size of your rant – I’d say you were trying your best to!
Trueblue… Just keep blaming everybody else… Rangers fans are scum and that is that. Barcelona have now started fan-zones because of your innocent behaviour, the last time Barcelona had seen that level of dis-order was 1972… guess who caused it… another final, another riot. I could go on about all the other times that everybody else was responsible for the mighty gers riots but I only have space for 30.000 words…
rangers truly are Scotland’s shame, same old story it wisny us it wis the polis, they should ban them from Europe for ever, who would want them in their city, anybody that is trying to make excuses for them should visit utube and witness for themselves what we in scotland have to put up with, they thought it was funny telling everybody that they were going to the biggest fvck the pope fest ever, sounds really great , saying that if things are not organised properly they just wreck the city, if some thing breaks down they start a riot, understandable, a guy is trying to fix the large screen for them to watch the match what do they do, pelt the guy with bottles, clever, these pictures have went all around the world so be proud rangers, your song is ringing true now , no one likes us, but you should care
true blue too right it wasnt rangers fans fault
it was clearly locals who got dressed up in rangers tops, had rangers flags and sang rangers songs who were to blame
same as it was villareal locals who did the same last year
and same as it was barca locals who did it in 1972
we all know the problems you have with bigots and thugs in your midst but murry and co will spin the truth anyway they can armed with the laptop “loyal” media
sadly for you everyone saw your fans in their truelight this week , same as they did when you came to old trafford with your bigotted songs and chants a few years back
ban you and the dippers and european football will be a better place
Youz can all get to fuck. I was at the game myself wit ma mates. i had tickets but ma pals got stuck in the gardens .
The manc police are scum. Organisers are scum
It aint davie murray spinnin anythin, its the fuckin media who aint tellin anyone what actually happened in there!
1972 won cwc in nou camp,result riot!
presented trophy in dressing room and banned from defending trophy following year!
year after year rangers have shamed scotland thruout england and elsewhere in europe blaming heavy handed policing whenever it kicks off!
it appears the police all over europe have it in for them with spontanious and unprovoked attacks on their friendly funlovin welcoming fans!
i dont think anyone other than murrays scottish press believe this,the laptop loyal are guilty by association as they continue to defend this loutish behaviour!
nou camp 1972-riot
sunderland-riot
vallareal-riot
barcelona -riot
manchester -riot
the police have caused all the above and many more attacking the beer guzzling,sectarian,theiving thugs who leave a trail of urine and distruction everywhere they go!
you decide?
Okay then, I will take realreds advice ( Youz can all get to fuck. I was at the game myself wit ma mates.) because he seems quite level headed where Rangers are concerned… Tell me Realred, were you anywhere near the fanzone when the big screen broke down, or did you simply suffer in the aftermath when the Police HAD to take action??? ps: what do “wit ma mates” mean homey… You cock!!! You were at the game but you knew everything that the Police were doing to break up the trouble…
pps: Realred… using Ma Pals and Ma Mates makes ye sound like the Scottish hun ye irr…
maybe rangers fucking up their title chances is karma for ruining our celebrations. Oh well, at least we won the double!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Glory Glory Man United!!!!
by the way, great site