Product Description

There are relatively few serious books about Rangers FC. This is surprising given the current upsurge in sports studies and sports writing. 'It's Rangers For Me?' seeks to fill the gap and engages with the debates on a range of topical issues: sectarianism and Scottish society; Scottish, British and Irish/Ulster identity seen through the prism of Rangers; Rangers and the Orange Order; the revival of the Ulster-Scots culture; the 'offence' allegedly given by the traditional songs associated with the club; the recent UEFA action against Rangers. There is also a critique of books like 'Celtic Minded' and 'Celtic's Paranoia' (in a brilliant, excoriating essay entitled 'The World of the Celtic Minded') which, it is argued, help to perpetuate the victimhood mindset of many Celtic supporters. Many other important themes are explored: the often difficult relationship between the Church of Scotland and Rangers; the hostility directed by sections of the Protestant middle class towards Rangers; the uneasiness felt by some current and former fans about the club's image; the suspicions harboured by a number of supporters about sections of the press and its supposed anti-Rangers agenda; the disdain of the Scottish political and social elite for the cultural mores favoured by working-class football fans, especially those of the Old Firm; the club's clumsy and frequently counter-productive efforts in the fields of public relation and media manipulation. The book continues to attract widespread attention and was discussed on BBC Television's Newsnight and on STV's Scotland Today. Its publication made headline news in a number of newspapers including The Times, Daily Telegraph, Scotland on Sunday, The Sun, Daily Record, Evening Times and The Herald

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #171247 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-22
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 254 pages