Rangers fans are furious with the comments made by the latest employee of Rangers FC to speak without knowledge to the media on events at half time during the recent Champions League match against Unirea in Bucharest last Wednesday.

On Saturday, Ally McCoist hit out at Rangers fans involved in the incident and branded them “mindless idiots” who have “brought shame on the club”.

Rangers fans have been so incensed with these comments that they are now calling for Ally McCoist to make a public apology or resign from his position as Assistant Manager of the club.

A spokesperson for the Rangers fans group ‘Vanguardbears’ states.......

The only mindless idiot here appears to be one Mr. McCoist.  He constantly goes on about speaking as a fan etc. but when was the last time he paid hundreds of pounds to go follow Rangers only to suffer appalling conditions and be attacked by the local stewards or police?

Since Thursday morning we have been contacted by a lot of Rangers supporters who were at the game, some that were even caught up in the trouble and without fail they have all relayed to us the same version of events time over time.  Let’s make this absolutely clear here, Rangers fans did not cause any trouble in the incident at half time, the only thing that Rangers fans have been guilty of is defending themselves against a rent-a-thug mob of stewards goading and indiscriminately attacking Rangers supporters.

The incident at halftime was sparked by stewards who on entering the pen holding Rangers fans to remove supporters banners and flags thought it would be fun to try and lay out an Irish tri-colour.  Rangers fans reacted to this and went to remove the offending article; this resulted in some minor scuffles between fans.  An elderly Rangers fan who tried to reason with the stewards and ask them to stop goading the Rangers support was then punched to the ground and kicked and stamped on by 6 stewards.  This is when all hell broke loose as Rangers fans knew that if they did not try and fight off the stewards one supporter may well be going home in a body bag.

If Mr. McCoist thinks it is unacceptable to go to the rescue of an elderly Rangers fan that is being beaten senseless for absolutely no reason then the guy clearly has a severe lack of morals and common decency.  It is basic human nature that when you or your loved ones are faced with unprovoked, indiscriminate, senseless violence, the quickest and most effective form of defence is to attack back, yet rather than being praised for saving the elderly fans life from a baying mob, Rangers fans are the ones labelled as trouble makers.  Mr McCoist would do well to remember the events leading to his trial and conviction for fighting in the middle of an East Kilbride shopping centre a number of years back.

Mr. McCoist’s comments are deemed insulting to those Rangers fans who suffered at the hands of
overzealous stewarding and policing on Wednesday night, maybe Mr. McCoist should better use his time asking why nobody is questioning the fact that stewards are now allowed to carry batons or CS Gas/Pepper spray?  Why was there overcrowding in the Rangers section on Wednesday night?  The club only accepted 2,200 tickets, how did 5,000 fans end up in that section?  What he shouldn’t be doing is making throwaway comments about an incident when he did have the slightest idea as to why it occurred.

Vanguardbears ask for Mr. McCoist to make a full and public apology for his crass remarks.  If Mr. McCoist refuses to make any apology then he should forget any fanciful notion that he could be the next Rangers manager as to be brutally honest he would be no longer welcome at Ibrox, legend or not.

Vanguardbears