We’ve gone a bit Euro 2020 daft, so we have. Yes, there’ll always be a Celtic angle to our international coverage, but that doesn’t make it any less enthusiastic about Scotland’s chances this summer.
For a whole generation of young Scots, this is the first time they’ve seen the Tartan Army battling the cream of Europe. People slightly older, myself included, remember 1998, then 23 years of hurt. The luckiest ones remember Scotland being a genuinely good side, qualifying for tournaments with efficient reliability.
Everyone, though, has an opportunity. This is common ground, it’s something that’s objectively unusual. While seeing Celtic players at major tournaments is no shock, seeing them play in the blue of Scotland is. For fans of other sides in Scotland, they’re seeing some of their fan favourites past and present getting game-time on a massive stage. It’s good fun.
So that’s why talk of Rangers supporters having no interest in the tournament is more than a little disappointing. Speaking personally, I know an unlucky few who follow the other lot, but their appetite to watch Scotland is just as voracious.
This column on the Daily Record, published earlier today, has caused some frenzied debate on a barely-functioning Twitter. Written from a Rangers’ fan’s perspective, it details the fracture in the relationship between Gers supporters and the national team. As is often the case with columns, it’s entirely subjective, but it does point to a few moments; Ryan Jack being booed, Graeme Souness’ English revolution at Ibrox, and – bizarrely – Duncan Ferguson’s famous headbutt on John McStay.
Because apparently, those are reasons not to enjoy Euro 2020.
Celtic fans, Rangers fans and everyone else could be enjoying a Euro 2020 moment
We’re not going to pick apart the column argument-by-argument. Primarily, because we’re a Celtic fan site, and have no real interest in the grievances of individual Rangers supporters regarding the Scotland team. But isn’t this missing the entire point of International Football?
Fine, the Scotland squad isn’t littered with Rangers players, but from their perspective, they’ve got Nathan Patterson to cheer on. Bigger than that, though, both Rangers and Celtic supporters have followed the Tartan Army since that first international took place in Partick.
There are grievances with the SFA all over the place, from any number of teams. If you’re really determined not to support the national team because of footballing bureaucracy then that’s your prerogative, but… really? It just feels like sour grapes. If supporting Rangers really means you have to miss out on Euro 2020, then it seems like a huge waste.
As we explored earlier, lots of Celtic players went to France 98, but Rangers players did, too. The beauty of it is that club alliances don’t matter for 90 minutes, a few times a year. Hopefully, in Scotland’s case, it’ll be more than 3 times, this summer.
But for even 3 evenings, in our fractured footballing landscape, can we not share the same goal for a bit? Is that idealistic? We don’t even have to like each other, or be pals, but just leave the drama and internal politics of football in Glasgow behind for a wee bit?
I’ve known Celtic fans born in Scotland to boycott the national team, too. It happens, and again, it’s an individual choice.
However, if you ask us, we’d rather be dancing than holding up the wall.
READ MORE: It isn’t just about investment this summer
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