Murray calls to unite fans

Chairman asks supporters to come together

By Amanda Cornforth   Last updated: 10th October 2008

Murray calls to unite fans

Murray: Call to fans

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Rangers chairman Sir David Murray is calling for fans to be united in the fight against sectarianism.

Murray was addressing shareholders at their annual general meeting at Ibrox and criticised the small number of supporters who still bring the club into disrepute.

Whilst Murray acknowledged that there has been an improvement in tackling the problem in recent years, he is adamant that Rangers will not become a scapegoat with regards to sectarianism in Scottish football.

Shame

"I've repeatedly said that Scotland's shame is not sectarianism - it's drugs and obesity," said Murray.

"We have people involved with this club who put bile - that's the word for it - on websites every day. All we are doing is playing into the hands of the media.

"In the 20 years I've been at this club, there has been a vast, vast improvement on the behaviour of sectarianism at the club.

"Then we don't help ourselves by giving people stuff on a daily basis.

"But all the problems with Scottish sectarianism should not be just put at the feet of Rangers Football Club.

"I intend to take that up with the First Minister [Alex Salmond] again when I see him in the next week."

Not enough

Murray replied when one club shareholder questioned that the club does not do enough to defend its own fans: "Let me say something quite controversial today, I don't think within our club we help ourselves.

"We give our head on a salver sometimes.

"Some of these websites... [chief executive] Martin Bain and I get phone-calls every day about rumours, sales, this and that. Half of our problems I believe are self-inflicted.

"Yes, you can argue that we don't defend ourselves but we have supporters - even on the day of the UEFA Cup final - criticising the management and players.

"Some people who are supposedly supporters need to have a hard look at themselves. Not all of our supporters are pulling in the right direction and they give the media it on a plate."